CYPRUS & THE TRAGEDY THAT OCCURRED IN 1974
A SOLEMN MEMORIAL
This solemn memorial is the marking of the 1974 Cyprus tragedy, and the wailing alarms are a formal act of tribute to the victims, the displaced, and those who went missing during the Greek-backed coup d’état and the subsequent Turkish invasion that resulted in the division of the island. In light of this, Cyprus sounds air-raid sirens annually on July 15th and then again on July 20th. This acts as a solemn reminder to all of the tragedies that occurred during this time.
The Cyprus Civil Defence explicitly warns the public that the sirens do not indicate an emergency when sounded across the island at these times.
July 15th at 8:20 AM: This marks the exact time of the launch of the military coup in 1974.
July 20th at 5:30 AM: Marks the exact time of the launch of the Turkish military invasion in 1974.
AIR SIRENS WILL WAIL TO MARK THE TRAGIC EVENTS OF 1974
THE POLITICAL TURMOIL IN 1974
The tragic events in July of 1974, which resulted in the division of the island, still ring in the memory of several Cypriots today. Every year, the Cypriot Civil Defence marks the anniversary of the tragedy by sounding air sirens on July 15th and then again on July 20th.
JULY 15TH, 1974
July 15th marks the beginning of a Greece-inspired coup d’état that saw the first democratically elected president of the Republic of Cyprus, ARCHBISHOP MAKARIOS III, removed from office. The installation of coup d’état leader, NIKOS SAMPSON, who advocated enosis, which was a movement that would facilitate Greek control of Cyprus, then led to a military intervention by Turkey, five days later.
AIR SIRENS TO MARK THE COUP
The Cyprus Civil Defence has announced that on July 15th, sirens will wail at 08:20 in the morning, marking the precise moment when the coup d’état unfolded in 1974.
AIR SIRENS TO MARK THE INVASION
The air sirens will wail again five days later, on July 20th, at 05:30 in the morning, marking the precise moment when Turkish troops landed on Cypriot soil.
NEVER FORGOTTEN
The tragedy that occurred during the summer of 1974, which led to the partition of the island, has never been forgotten by Greek Cypriots. Remembered and mourned every year across the Republic of Cyprus, it is easily the island’s worst tragedy since the creation of the Republic of Cyprus in the summer of 1960. Although the somewhat fanatical actions of both Greek and Turkish communities at the time contributed to the situation that exists today, the idea and implementation of partition firmly lie with Turkish Cypriot separatists.
A POWER SHARING FAILURE
Constitutional instability across Cyprus was rife after power-sharing mechanisms between Greek and Turkish Cypriots broke down in 1963. This occurred shortly after Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom in the summer of 1960. Suspicions on both sides persisted due to longstanding opposing views regarding the island’s immediate future.
ENOSIS OR TAXIM?
The majority of Greek Cypriots advocated for a union with Greece, or ‘Enosis’, as it became known. This directly clashed with the majority of Turkish Cypriots, who desired autonomy. This policy, which could only be achieved by the way of partition, would become known as ‘Taxim’. These long-standing opposing views created constant inter-communal tensions that came to a head in 1963.
THE CREATION OF TURKISH ENCLAVES
Greek Cypriots demands for amendments that would affect the Cypriot constitution were vetoed by Turkish ministers in 1963. A Turkish boycott of the government followed this resolute and swift response. As this latest disagreement escalated, it then spilt over into violence on the streets between the two communities. Turkish Cypriots then withdrew to several enclaves that were then created across the island. The uneasy peace was then constantly broken by small skirmishes and interventions from both sides. Although tensions largely subsided thereafter, the Turkish enclaves still existed. This meant that in a sense, Taxim existed on the island, be it in an ad-hoc fashion, since 1963.
A GREEK INSPIRED COUP!
Tension between both communities once again came to a head in July 1974. This occurred after a Greek-inspired coup d’état, which aimed to annex Cyprus to Greece, seized control of the island. Turkey, in response, launched a military operation five days later. This came under the auspices of protecting Turkish Cypriots across the island using the Treaty of Guarantee, which was signed in 1959.
A TURKISH GUISE
It soon became obvious that the Turkish peace-keeping operation was a guise, and the real intention of the Turkish military was to implement Taxim. The Turkish army, along with Turkish Cypriot separatists were fully intent on separating the two communities. This was confirmed when a second Turkish military intervention, which expanded Turkish control of Northern Cyprus, began on August 14, 1974. This second invasion saw thousands of Cypriots on both sides of the divide forced to repatriate.
A NEW DE FACTO STATE
The Turkish army, after the conflict ended, failed to withdraw from the north of the island. A pre-determined buffer zone was created, and this is separated by what is known today as the ‘Green Line’. The independent state of the Republic of Cyprus remained in place in the south of the island. Archbishop Makarios III, the first president of the Republic of Cyprus, retained control. Turkish Cypriots in the north, now with Taxim in place, effectively created a new de facto state. This was cemented when Greek Cypriots in the north, who initially did not flee to the south, were encouraged to leave by the new Turkish administration. In equal measure, Turkish Cypriots who remained in the south were offered huge incentives to repatriate to the north. This helped to further displace large numbers of both Turkish and Greek Cypriots, and several areas were ethnically segregated in the following decades.
A PRE DETERMINED BUFFER ZONE
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was formally established 9 years later in 1983. Today, it is regarded as an illegal state, and it is only recognised by Turkey. In contrast, the southern part of the island remains the internationally recognised state of the Republic of Cyprus. The Republic of Cyprus became a fully-fledged member of the European Union in 2004, also officially adopting the Euro in 2008.
NO SOLUTION IN SIGHT
Several international initiatives over the years have sought to reunify Cyprus or at least establish a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. Representatives of both communities have engaged in various negotiations, with varying levels of international support. None of these initiatives, however, has produced any meaningful lasting settlement. This means that Taxim, it seems, has won the day and remains in place, ensuring that the island remains partitioned.
