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Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of West Asia. Although the Republic claims the entire island, the northeast section is militarily occupied by Turkey under the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and is seperated from the rest of Cyprus via a UN buffer zone. Cyprus' former colonizer, the United Kingdom, also continues to occupy the military bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia to use for imperialism in west Asia.
History
Colonization
Cyprus was colonized by the British for almost 100 years. In 1954 and 1955, many people protested against colonialism and were violently dispersed by British authorities. The National Organization of Cypriot Fighters fought to liberate Cyprus from the British and unify with Greece. The Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) advocated for peaceful demonstrations. Cyprus achieved independence in 1960.[1]
Independent Cyprus
The British left Greek Archbishop Makarios in charge as president, who aimed to complete the Greek national prohect of an independent Cyprus. In the 1960s, Greece and Turkey supported armed conflicts between Greek and Turkish nationalists in Cyprus. The U.S. under the Johnson administration attempted to broker a secret deal in 1964 where the Greeks would annex the island while Turkey retained a large military base, this plan was rejected by Makarios.[2] AKEL advocated for a union with Greece in 1964.
Invasion of Cyprus
In 1974 the Greek military junta staged a coup in Cyprus, with the knowledge of Henry Kissinger, and deposed Makarios, placing CIA asset Nikos Sampson in charge. Five days later Turkey invaded the island and occupied the northern portion, ethnically cleansing around 200,000 Greek Cypriots from the island’s north with the Greek junta doing the same in the south. The new U.S. backed president Glafcos Clerides signed a population exchange agreement with Turkey, finalizing the divivision of Cyprus.[2] In 1975, the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus was established before being succeeded by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983, which is claimed by the Republic of Cyprus.[1]
Notes