Cyprus Dispute
Cyprus Dispute

Summary/Abstract: Cyprus is an island state located in the Mediterranean basin at an equal distance of the shores of Europe, Africa and Asia. Due to this economic and geographical location, the country served as the object of the dispute between the great empires of ancient times. Over time, the island of Cyprus came under the control of different peoples; from Egyptians to Byzantines in the Ancient period, from Arabs to Crusaders on the Middle Ages, from the Ottoman Empire to the Great Britain on the Modern period. The process of decolonization started in Cyprus after the Second World War. In this context the Greeks which are majority voiced the wish their union with Greece ("Enosis"), in time what the Turkish minority claimed the split of the island according to the ethnic principle. The Turkish minority aimed to join to Turkey the Turkish side of the Cyprus. The United Nations operated in Cyprus on 1964 to prevent battles between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriots. Following the escalation of the Turkish military aggression on 1974, the Security Council mandated UN's troops to oversee the ceasefire, the buffer zone for humanitarian missions, and support the UN Secretary-General's mission in the area. In 2004 the Republic of Cyprus is accepted by the European Union as a Member State. At the time when it was decided that Cyprus could join the European Union, it was assumed that the new Member State would be considered in its entirety as a confederation. After several Union Nations mediated talks that did not lead to any result, the application for membership in the Republic of Cyprus appeared as an opportunity that should not have been missed. Integration of Cyprus into European Union structures would become the best way to find a solution.

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