Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
The
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) (
Turkish:
Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti) or
Turkish Cypriot State (
Turkish:
Kıbrıs Türk Devleti) is a
break-away de facto state in the northern third of the island of
Cyprus. It was unilaterally proclaimed in 1983, nine years after the Greek Cypriot
coup d'etat that was carried out by
EOKA-B and backed by the
Greek military junta of 1967-1974 and the ensuing
Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Its immediate predecessor from 1975 to 1983 was the
Turkish Federative State of North Cyprus; but its emergence dates to 1963 with the collapse of the short lived
Republic of Cyprus into two antagonistic camps.
Turkey is currently the only state that recognizes the TRNC. The
Organization of the Islamic Conference has taken steps to remove the isolation of the TRNC[
1]. However, all national governments (including Muslim states) and the
United Nations recognize only the
de jure sovereignty of the
Republic of Cyprus over the whole island. Up until the Annan Plan referendum of 2004, the
UN considered the TRNC to be illegal in several of its
resolutions. Since then it has ctiticised the south's leadership for intransigence and refrained from referring to pre-Annan Plan resolutions. The TRNC is also increasingly treated as a separate entity by major country analysts such as
Economist Intelligence Unit and
Jane's Intelligence. The TRNC functions as a
self-governing protectorate of Turkey. The European Court of Human Rights, in the landmark judgment of
Loizidou v. Turkey, has in fact called TRNC a "subordinate local administration of Turkey." Although TRNC institutions are not recognized internationally, the President of the TRNC is recognized as the negotiating representative of the Turkish Cypriot community. TRNC has applied to the
Commonwealth Games Federation to take part in the
Commonwealth Games as a team separate from Cyprus, but so far this proposal has been rejected.
The TRNC has a population of about 200,000 and an area of 3,355 square kilometres (including the tiny enclave of
Kokkina (Turkish:
Erenköy). Its population is almost entirely Turkish-speaking
ethnic Turks - although some Turkish Cypriots prefer emphasizing their Cypriot Turkishness, or simply their Cypriotness. The population consists of three main communities: indigenous
Turkish Cypriots, intergrated Turkish settlers who can be considered Turkish Cypriots either through marriage or born on the island, and
migrant Anatolian Turks; there also some Kurds amonst the settlers. Many of the older Turkish Cypriots speak and understand Greek - some may even be considered native speakers of the Greek Cypriot
dialect. There are also tiny populations of enclaved
Greek Cypriots and
Maronites. The TRNC includes the northern part of the city of
Nicosia (Turkish: Lefkoşa, Greek: Lefkosia), which serves as its capital. A large share of the people living in northern Cyprus after the Turkish invasion
have emigrated, particularly to
Western Europe but also to Turkey and have subsequently been replaced by settlers from Turkey. Many left the island due to the grim economic situation of the TRNC which, because of the prevailing international embargo imposed by the southern Republic of Cyprus, faces many difficulties in trading with third countries.
From the tip of the
Karpass Peninsula (
Cape Apostolos Andreas) in the northeast, the TRNC extends westward to
Morphou Bay and
Cape Kormakitis (the Kokkina/Erenköy
exclave marks the westernmost extent of the TRNC), and southward to the village of
Akıncılar. The territory between the TRNC and the remainder of Cyprus is separated by a
United Nations-controlled buffer zone.
1960 - Establishment of the Republic of Cyprus
The Republic of Cyprus was established after the island gained independence from the
United Kingdom. The ethnically Greek and Turkish communities living on the island were given full participation in governing the new Republic. Both groups were allocated seats in the government chambers and positions in the civil service. The
Constitution of the Republic provided that 70% of the members of the House of Representatives would be Greek-Cypriots and 30% Turkish-Cypriots. For some matters, like the budget, for example, separate majorities were required. In the army and the civil service, the ratio had to be 60-40 respectively. Greece, Turkey, and the UK became guarantor powers of the Republic under the
1960 Treaty of Guarantee.
1963 - Inter-communal fighting and constitutional collapse
|
Founder President, Rauf R. Denktaş |
In December 1963, the government of Cyprus collapsed after the Turkish Cypriots withdrew their participation. For 3 years its legislative powers were stalling due to the constant inability of the two communities to reach decisions. Tensions increased when Makarios proposed thirteen amendments to the constitution of the Republic of Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots were opposed to the proposal since it re-classfied their status as a minority, instead of co-founders of the state; the proposals also removed what they saw as their community's constitutional safeguards. These amendments were largely seen as a move towards
Enosis (union with Greece) by Turkish Cypriots. On 21 December 1963, clashes between Turkish Cypriots and Polycarpos Yorgadjis (the Interior Minister) plainclothes special constables left two Turkish Cypriots and one Greek Cypriot policeman dead [
2]. Although the ensuing violence led to attacks launched by both communities, Turkish Cypriots had born the brunt of the offensive, leading to 700 Turkish Cypriot hostages being taken and full scale attacks launched by Nicos Sampson against the Turkish Cypriot population [
3].
The fighting left 191 Turkish and 133 Greek Cypriots dead and 209 Turks and 41 Greeks missing [
4]. Widespread looting of Turkish Cypriot villages led to twenty thousand refugees retreating into
armed enclaves which remained for 11 years, relying on food and medical supplies from Turkey to survive. Though much of the initial withdrawal was in the wake of violence, it has been alleged that the Turkish Cypriots' own paramilitary group
TMT exercised influence in preventing some Turkish Cypriots returning to their villages, thus leading to the segregation of the communities.
Enclaves
According to Brigadier Francis Henn
1, former Chief of Staff, UN Force in Cyprus from 1972-1974, the Turkish Cypriots were "besieged" and "56,000 members of the community had been deprived [by the Greek Cypriots authorities] of their normal means of subsistence".
1974 - Greek and Turkish military actions
In July 1974, the
Greek military junta of 1967-1974 backed a Greek Cypriot military coup d'état in Cyprus. President
Makarios was removed from office and
Nikos Sampson, a former EOKA fighter and a member of Parliament, took over the presidency. Using the coup as a pretext, Turkey invaded Cyprus, claiming that it was a necessary intervention to protect the Turkish Cypriot populace according to the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee. The coup promptly failed and Makarios returned to power. Turkish forces proceeded to take over about 37% of the island, causing a vast majority of the Greek Cypriots to abandon their homes. In total, over 195,000 Greek Cypriots fled to the south of the island while 75,000 Turkish Cypriots fled north. By the end of the invasion, thousands of Turks from the southern communities were missing, although it is known that small numbers have continued to live with their Greek neighbours.
1975 - From federation to independence
In 1975, the "Turkish Federated State of North Cyprus" was declared as a first step to international recognition of a Turkish Cypriot separatist state in Cyprus. The move was rejected by the Republic of Cyprus, by the UN, and by the international community. After eight years of failed negotiations with the leadership of the Greek Cypriot Community, the north declared its independence in 1983 under the name of the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The
UDI of the TRNC was rejected by the UN and the Republic of Cyprus.For detailed accounts of the background to the Cyprus dispute, see:
*
Operation Atilla*
Cyprus dispute*
Cyprus under the Ottoman Empire*
History of Cyprus*
Annan planReference
1 Brigadier Francis Henn,A Business of Some Heat - the UN force in Cyprus before and during the 1974 Turkish invasion, Pen & Sword Books 2004.
Its electoral system has a president elected for a five year term. Its legislature is the Assembly of the Republic (Cumhuriyet Meclisi) which has 50 members elected by
proportional representation from five electoral districts. In the elections of February 2005, the
Republican Turkish Party, which favours a peace settlement and the reunification of Cyprus, retained its position as the largest parliamentary party, but failed to win an overall majority.
*There are many legends about the Five Finger Mountain. One tells the story of a conceited villager who fell in love with the local queen and asked for her hand in marriage. The queen wished to be rid of the impertinent young man and requested that he bring her some water from the spring of St Andreas monastery in the karpas. This was a perilous journey in those days. The man set off and after several weeks returned with a skin full of that precious water. The queen was most dismayed to see that he had succeeded, but still refused to marry him. In a fit of rage, he poured the water on to the earth, seized a handful of the resulting mud and threw it at the queen's head. She ducked and the lump of mud sailed far across the plain to land on top of the Kyrenia mountain range, where it is to this day, still showing the impression of the thwarted villager's five fingers.
*Another famous one is after the Byzantine hero Digenis Akritas. Tradition has it that Digenis Akritas hand gripped the mountain to get out of the sea when he came to free Cyprus from its
Saracen invaders, and this is his handprint. (He also threw a large rock across Cyprus to get at the Saracen ships. That rock landed in Paphos at the site of the birthplace of Aphrodite, thus known to this day as
Petra tou Romiou or Rock of the Greek.)
The economy of the Turkish Cypriot North is dominated by the services sector including the public sector, trade, tourism and education, with smaller agriculture and light manufacturing sectors. The economy operates on a free-market basis, although it continues to be handicapped by the political isolation of Turkish Cypriots, the lack of private and governmental investment, high freight costs, and shortages of skilled labor. Despite these constraints, the Turkish Cypriot economy turned in an impressive performance in 2003 and 2004, with growth rates of 9.6% and 11.4%. This growth has been buoyed by the relative stability of the Turkish Lira and by a boom in the education and construction sectors. The Turkish Cypriots are heavily dependent on monetary transfers from the Turkish government. Under the 2003-06 economic protocol, Ankara plans to provide around $550 million to the TRNC. The number of tourists visiting North Cyprus during January-August 2003 was 286,901.[
5]
Over the same period, per capita income almost doubled
*
US$4,409 (2002)
* US$5,949 (2003)
* US$8,095 (2004)
* (2005)
The international community - with the exception of Turkey - does not recognize the TRNC as a sovereign nation (Note: the
Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, an
exclave of
Azerbaijan, does regard the TRNC as sovereign, while the state of Azerbaijan officially has not followed suit). The
Organization of the Islamic Conference gives the TRNC the status of a
constituent state, and it is an observer member of this organization.
Since the April 2004 referendum on the United Nations
Annan Plan, the attitude of the international community towards the TRNC has begun to improve.
Günter Verheugen, the
EU's Enlargement Commissioner, was reported as saying that the EU was considering opening a representative office in the TRNC. EU foreign ministers agreed to give the TRNC 259 million euros (US$307 million) in aid. This aid was blocked by the Greek Cypriot Administration who argued that the Turkish Cypriots wanted to receive this money directly. That is why the southern Republic of Cyprus has blocked it at EU level. The result was for half of the money so far to be lost.
Legally, however, the European Union continues to consider northern Cyprus as EU territory with a disputed foreign military presence and thus indefinitely exempt from
EU legislation until a settlement has been reached. While certain
outlying regions of the EU can and do obtain exemptions from EU law, Northern Cyprus is the only part of the Union where such laws are not enforceable. The number of seats assigned to Cyprus in the
European Parliament (six seats) is based on the population of the entire island. Despite the fact that the
Turkish Cypriot residents of Northern Cyprus - and possibly some of the
naturalized Anatolian Turks - are EU citizens, fewer than expected Northerners voted in the 2004 elections. There is no support for admitting two Cypriot member states into the EU, as long as the
Cyprus problem is not solved.
Because of its status, the TRNC is heavily dependent on Turkish military and economic support. It uses the
New Turkish Lira as its currency. All TRNC exports and imports have to take place via Turkey. International telephone calls are routed via a Turkish
dialling code: +90 392. On the web TRNC is under the Turkish second-level domain
.nc.tr, and mail must be addressed via Mersin 10, TURKEY as the
Universal Postal Union refuses to recognize the TRNC as a separate entity.
Direct flights to Northern Cyprus are forbidden by the Republic of Cyprus. The airports of
Geçitkale and
Ercan are only recognized as legal ports of entry by Turkey and
Azerbaijan. (Note: Following a 2005 visit by three members of the US Congress to Ercan, there were indications that the airport satisfied US security standards for international flights. Ercan, in particular, was subject to extensive security checks some months prior to the June 2005 landing. In June 2005, President
George W. Bush instructed Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice to make an investigation into the practicality of direct commercial airline flights from the United States to Ercan).
TRNC sea ports had been declared closed to all shipping by the Republic of Cyprus since the Turkish invasion in 1974. Turkey, however, rejects this declaration while TRNC-registered vessels have free access to Turkish sea ports (Note: In retaliation for the closure order, Turkey denied entry to Turkish territorial waters to Cypriot-flagged ships, despite the signing of the
EU Customs Union Protocol. The EU has demanded the lifting of the Turkish ban on Cypriot shipping and aviation and the recognition of the Republic of Cyprus as preconditions of Turkey's EU accession).
Naturalized TRNC citizens or foreigners carrying a passport stamped by the TRNC authorities may be refused entry by the Republic of Cyprus or Greece, although after the accession of the Republic of Cyprus to the EU such restrictions have been eased following confidence-building measures between Athens and Ankara and the partial opening of the UN controlled line by the North Cypriot authorities. The Republic of Cyprus also allows passage across the
Green Line from the part of
Nicosia that it controls (as well as a few other selected crossing points), since the TRNC does not leave entry stamps in the passport for such visits.
Airports and harbours
*Ercan/Tymvou Airport (Lefkoşa/Nicosia - Main Airport)
*Geçitkale/Lefkoniko Airport (Gazimağusa/Famagusta)
*Ilker Karter Airport (Girne/Kyrenia)
*Pınarbaşı Airport (Girne/Kyrenia)
*Topel Airport (Güzelyurt/Morphou)
*Port of Girne/Kyrenia
*Port of Gazimağusa/Famagusta
Universities
*
Eastern Mediterranean University[
6]
*
Near East University[
7]
*
European University of Lefke[
8]
*
International Cyprus University[
9]
*
Girne American University[
10]
*
Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus / Guzelyurt[
11]
NGOs
*Management Centre for the Eastern Mediterranean [
12]
The Management Centre for the Eastern Mediterranean is an umbrella and support institution for civil society organisations in Northern Cyprus. It organises conferences, training and other events, contains useful lists of NGOs and other organisations and reports from studies and initiatives.
*Turkish Cypriot Red Crescent Association [
13]
Turkish Cypriot Red Crescent Association Crescent claims descent from an organisation founded in 1974, but was long dormant. It started to try and reorganise itself in 2005.
In April 2006, a General Assembly of the organisation elected the recently retired president of the supreme court, Taner Erginel, as President.
*
Nicosia has an old town centre similar to that of
Famagusta The ancient city centre is surrounded by a 5.5 km long city wall, which is still intact.
*To the northeast the mythical Five Finger mountains (
Pentadactylos, Turkish: Beşparmak) guard the city. This rocky five finger mountain rises 700 meters above sea level and harbours the legend of the Byzantine hero Digenis, who defeated the invading Arabs with supernatural strength.
*A giant TRNC flag is painted on the southern side of the mountain, near the village of Vouno/Taşkent, which can be easily seen from most of Nicosia.
* One of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean is in the Karpaz in the furthest Easten tip of the island and is a nesting ground for endangered loggerhead and green turtles.
Traditional Turkish Cypriot folk dances can be divided into 5 categories: Karsilamas, Sirtos, Zeybeks, Ciftetellis & Arabiyes, and Topical Dances.
*
KarsilamaKarsilama means coming face to face in Turkish. It is danced by two or more dancers by coming face to face, among whom there exists a very good friendship. This causes a smiling mimic on the dancers' faces because of their happiness of enjoying together. There are separate women karsilamas and men karsilamas. In some karsilamas dancers use a handkerchief and dance by (each of them) holding one side of it. Some dancers might from time to time show their special talents like spinning, jumping, kneeling, or hitting their feet or legs or the ground with their hands in accordance with the rhythm of the music simultaneously with spinning or jumping or kneeling... Karsilamas are named with numbers. Karsilama 1, Karsilama 2, Karsilama 3, Karsilama 4, Women's Karsilama 3, Women's Karsilama 4, etc... And they are usually played and danced in the same ascending order as listed here.
*
SirtoSirtos are one of the most liked folk dances and music in Cyprus. Sirto comes from the Greek Syrtos. However, it is easy to also observe the Turkish motives in the ones used in Cyprus. Even Ottoman Sultans liked very much this Greek music form and composed songs in that form. The most popular non-anonymous example is the Hicaz Sirto of 32nd Ottoman Sultan Abdul Aziz, which is known in North Cyprus among Turkish Cypriots as Aziziye Sirto. Similarly it is known (played and danced) in the South Cyprus among Greek Cypriots as Aziziyes Syrtos. This is quite normal taking into consideration that the two communities lived together for a very long time in Cyprus history. In some parts of sirtos pairs of dancers hold a handkerchief from its two sides as in karsilamas. When one of the dancers starts making skillful movements the other stops dancing and keeps holding the handkerchief firmly so that his friend will not fall down. Seherli Sirtosu, Aziziye Sirto, Iskele Sirtosu, Azize, Kina Sirtosu, etc, are the most popular sirtos...
*
ZeybekZeybeks are relatively slow and have more swaggering attitude than other dances. They represent the determination, braveness and strength of the males. Zeybeks' origin is known to be Turkish. They have also been used by Greeks. Greek Cypriots call it "Zeybekikos" and Rhodos Greeks call it "Turkikos". They are very popular in Western and Central Anatolia. In zeybeks which have lyrics, the parts with lyrics are not danced. Cyprus Zeybeks are relatively faster. Abdal Zeybegi, Sarhos Zeybegi, Kibris Zeybegi, Iskele Zeybegi are the most popular zeybeks...
*
Ciftetelli and ArabiyeCiftetellis and Arabiyes are free dance forms danced by females. Female dancers swing their heads, shake their shoulders and chests, swing their bellies and hips, etc, mostly to attract males. Some examples are Ciftetelli, Bahriye Ciftetellisi, Mevlana, Arabiye 1, Arabiye 2, etc...
*
Topical DancesThese are the dramatic dances with some themes from daily life or special events. They can be categorized into 5 groups according to their themes: animal motions and behaviors, daily and special human activities, male-female relations, nature facts and events, fights and battles with or without guns. Music of many of these dances contain lyrics. The significance of these lyrics is to strengthen the effect of the movements in the dances. These dances enable skillful dancers to illustrate interesting aspects of the corresponding themes. Orak, Kozan, Kartal, Topal, Degirmenci, Nisan, etc, are the most popular examples in this category...
Some examples of Topical Dances:
*
Orak: Orak means sickle in Turkish. This dance is about harvesting time. Farmer men use their sickles to harvest. Their women also help them. The women give water (in jugs) to thirsty and tired men. Some of the men, when they become vigorous or when they want to show off, start to show their expertise in using their sickles. They throw up and catch their sickles repeatedly, use two sickles simultaneously for harvesting, etc...
*
Kozan: This is danced with a water jug in "henna nights" (a part of wedding ceremonies), after the bride's hand has been put henna. At the end of this dance which is danced by only females, the bride breaks the jug by throwing it to the ground. The broken jug symbolizes an everlasting happiness. Another belief is that the pieces of this broken jug (and the coins and sweets put a-priori inside the jug) which spread on the ground when the jug is broken symbolize fertility.
*
Kartal: Kartal means eagle in Turkish. This dance is about the struggle of an eagle not to let his prey be seized by other eagles.
*
Topal: Topal means lamed in Turkish. This dance is about the struggle of a lamed bridegroom candidate with his "would be" father-in-law who does not like him as a husband for his daughter even though he is also lamed.
*
List of cities in Cyprus for Greek, Turkish and Classical names.
*
Elections in Cyprus*
Cyprus Turkish Football Federation*
Bayrak Radio and Television Corporation*
Türk Ajansi Kibris (TAK) News Agency*
Constitution of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus*
Non-recognized nations*
ReunificationOfficial links
*
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus government site*
Office Of The President, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus*
Northern Cypriot Tourism Office*
TRNC Public Information Office*
TRNC Central Bank in Turkish languageOther links
*
ATCA News, Association of Turkish Cypriots Abroad*
"Islamic Conference's Parliaments to Call TRNC 'Cyprus Turkish State'" JTW*
Useful Information on TRNC*
About TRNC*
Comprehensive information on Northern Cyprus*
International Expert Panel for a European Solution in Cyprus*
Assembly of Turkish American Associations*
Chronology - Cyprus Issue*
Münüse, Folk Music*
TIKA*
EU task-force on Turkish Cypriot community*[
14]
*
North Cyprus Forum
