After years of fighting for independence and sovereignty, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was founded on Nov. 15, 1983, with the aim of bringing peace and stability to the country and preserving the freedom of Turkish Cypriots
On Friday, Turkish Cypriots celebrated the foundation of the 36th anniversary of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), achieved after many years of suffering under the oppression of the Greek side. On Nov. 15, 1983, the republic was found following a struggle for independence to achieve sovereignty over their land and provide peace and serenity. The mid-1950s marked dark days for the Turkish Cypriots as they were subjected to oppression and killings by terror group EOKA that sought the annexation of the island to Greece. The terrorist group wanted to eradicate Turkish Cypriots' existence on the island thus resorted to brutal violence that led to Turkish Cypriot's abandoning at least 33 villages from 1955 to 1958. Greece decided to take the Cyprus matter to the U.N. and filed various motions between 1954 and 1958 calling on the international organization to recognize the Greek Cypriots' self-determination. In response, the U.K., then-ruler of the island, said the Turkish Cypriots should have "self-determination" rights as well and partition stood as a valid option to end the dispute. With the approval of the U.K., Turkey and Greece reached a consensus on Feb. 11, 1959, leading to the Zurich and London agreements that later paved the way for the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960 where all three countries would be guarantors. The Turkish Cypriots, weary of the brutal violence carried out by EOKA, finally got a glimmer of hope; however, they would soon realize that promises made were nothing but a mirage. Turkish Cypriots were discriminated against and alienated by the Greek Cypriots in state institutions and systematic and comprehensive attacks began on Dec. 21, 1963 when a bloody incident, later termed "Bloody Christmas," took place. A total of 103 Turkish Cypriot villages were attacked, leading to the deaths of hundreds. In fact, the bloody campaign led to the displacement of 30,000 Turkish Cypriots, who had to take shelter in an area constituting merely 3% of the island. The "Bloody Christmas" incidents gave birth to the partition of the central city of Nicosia on Dec. 27, 1963. This partition line today is called the "Green Line." In 1967, a military junta ousted the government in Greece and started to destabilize the island. The junta struck two villages in Cyprus, Boğaziçi and Geçitkale. Greek troops, of 20,000 strong, were forced to leave the island as Turkey sent a warning and said it would step in as a guarantor force if aggression continued. In 1968, Turkish and Greek Cypriots started negotiations under U.N. mediation, with the Turkish side complying with suggestions of the U.N., whereas the Greek side remained adamant at rejecting the sharing of a common future with the Turks. On July 15, 1974, the then Cypriot President Cyprus Makarios was ousted by ultra-nationalist and anti-Turkish Nikos Sampson, one of the leaders of EOKA-B, a Greek Cypriots paramilitary body formed in the early 1970s. Shortly after hearing about the coup, Turkey called on the U.K. to hold a joint operation to stop imminent persecution; however, London refused the offer and Ankara decided to take action on its own on July 20, 1974. Turkey's National Security Council was quickly established and Bülent Ecevit, the then-Prime Minister of Turkey, instructed the army to take action and Cyprus Peace Operation was launched. With fighter jets flying low over the land and paratroops deployed on the island, Turkey prevented the annexation of Cyprus and brought protection to weary Turkish Cypriots. Ankara halted its operation following the U.N. Security Council's call and agreed on a cease-fire with Greece. The peace operation proved Turkey's claims about the persecution of Turks as a number of mass graves were unveiled in some Turkish Cypriots towns on the island. The success of the operation paved the way for the establishment of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus on Feb. 13, 1975, with Rauf Denktaş as president. On Nov. 15, 1983, the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus held an extraordinary session and the members of parliament unanimously approved the establishment of the TRNC. The Greek rejection of the Annan Plan, named after former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which envisaged the reunification of the people on the island through a federation in 2004, was yet another milestone in the dispute. The plan was rejected by the Greek Cypriot administration in dual referendums held on both sides of the island. While Turkish Cypriots supported the plan with 64.91% votes, the Greek residents of Cyprus rejected it with 75.83%. According to the latest reports, current U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said "new ideas" may be needed for a settlement on the island. Although the unification plans were dismissed by the Greek Cypriots, the EU admitted the Greek side with full membership on the day following the ballot, ignoring the existence of Turkish Cypriots. The conflicting parties launched numerous negotiations between 2005 and 2016; however, the Greek Cypriot government's unilateral declaration of exclusive economic zones in the Eastern Mediterranean and the initiation of drilling activities in search of hydrocarbons in the region terminated the talks. For over half a century, the Greek Cypriots have had an uncompromising attitude in negotiations and therefore set obstacles that have prevented the resolution of the protracted dispute on the island. The decades since have seen several attempts to resolve the Cyprus dispute, all ending in failure. The latest one, held with the participation of the guarantor countries, Turkey, Greece and the U.K., ended in 2017 in Switzerland. Little trust on Cyprus resolution Today, the TRNC stands as a sovereign country closely working with Turkey on hydrocarbon search activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, in addition to close bilateral ties. Guterres said on Thursday that desire for a settlement on Cyprus continued to prevail among both nations on the divided island, but that trust remains low. "People are skeptical about the prospects for successful talks," he said in a report, a day before submitting it to the U.N. General Assembly. The report assesses the negotiation process in line with developments that took place on Nov. 11-Oct. 30. In the report, Guterres said that despite "repeated calls" on both leaders to better inform the two communities about the "contours of a settlement" and to improve the overall conditions and atmosphere for the process, the climate "deteriorated further." He blamed "increased tensions in and around Cyprus" and the sides' "disagreement over the terms of reference" which he said is "prolonging the stalemate." The president of the administration, Mustafa Akıncı, on the other hand, said Turkish Cypriots would never accept threats to their freedom, distinctiveness, equality and security. Akıncı pointed out that the approach of punishing the Turkish Cypriot side did not help resolve the issue in the Eastern Mediterranean and that Turks had no choice but to seek their rights. "Neither side has made sufficient effort to avoid unhelpful rhetoric which has further reinforced skepticism among the public," said the U.N. chief. "I continue to hold out hope that a durable settlement to the Cyprus problem can be achieved and urge all parties to take advantage of this period of consultations to lay the groundwork for fresh commitments to achieve a peaceful settlement," he added.
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