Cyprus Naval Base: Politics in Europe has heated up after an announcement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan said that if needed, Turkey is ready to build a naval base in Cyprus. Erdogan made this statement on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Turkish army’s attack on Cyprus. However, this island is now divided.
According to the report of Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu, on Sunday (July 21), Erdogan said, “If necessary, we can build a base and a naval base in the north of Cyprus. Erdogan went to North Cyprus on Saturday to mark the 50th anniversary of Turkey’s invasion and made this provocative announcement after returning from there.
Turkey made serious allegations against Greece
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also accused his rival Greece of wanting to establish its own naval base in Cyprus, over which the two sides remain as divided as ever. Cyprus gained independence from Britain in 1960, but shared administration between Greek and Turkish Cypriots soon collapsed following violence that led to Turkish Cypriots fleeing the enclave and a UN peacekeeping force being sent in.
Turkey occupied the island in 1974
In 1974, Turkey occupied more than a third of the island and drove more than 160,000 Greek Cypriots to the south. Cyprus has since been divided along ethnic lines, with Greek and Turkish Cypriots living on either side of a border patrolled by a United Nations peacekeeping force. In 1983, Turkey established the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a breakaway state recognised only by Turkey.
Meanwhile on Saturday (20 July), Turkish President Erdogan attended a military parade in northern Nicosia to commemorate the day in 1974 when Turkey launched its invasion. On Saturday, Cyprus President Nikos said the only option was to reunify the two regions.
Divided Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004
Divided Cyprus joined the EU in 2004 after Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected a UN plan to settle their differences with Turkish Cypriots. But on the other side of the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating the two communities, Erdogan on Saturday rejected the UN-backed federal model.
The UN-backed talks broke down in 2017 itself
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he saw no point in restarting talks on such a plan. “To be honest, we don’t think it’s possible to start a new negotiation process without both sides sitting down on an equal footing and leaving the negotiating table on an equal footing,” he said. The last round of UN-backed talks to reunite the island failed in 2017.
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