Divided Cyprus: 50 Years After the Turkish Invasion

This Saturday marks the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, an event that sparked celebrations in the north and mourning in the south. Triggered by a brief Greek coup, the invasion has left deep-seated issues unsolved.

The roots of the conflict trace back to 1963 when a tax dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots escalated into a wider governmental conflict. Violence broke out in December 1963, prompting the creation of a U.N. peacekeeping mission. Turkish Cypriots moved into enclaves, leading to the de facto partition of Nicosia, Cyprus's capital.

Ankara cited its rights as a guarantor of Cyprus’s sovereignty to justify its invasion in July 1974, following the coup that toppled Cyprus’s legitimate government. This intervention led to the collapse of Greece's military dictatorship but left Turkey in control of northern Cyprus. Despite Cyprus joining the EU in 2004, the island remains divided with significant unresolved issues such as sovereignty, governance, and property disputes.

(With inputs from agencies.)