Northern Cyprus is a Mediterranean paradise at the crossroads of more than 10,000 years of history offering unspoiled beaches, spectacular mountains and quaint villages. It's easy in Northern Cyprus to follow in the footsteps of the Mycenaeans, Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Venetians, Ottomans and the British as you visit ancient ruins, castles, forts, monasteries and mosques. Northern Cyprus makes you an offer to relax on beautiful beaches, enjoy local cuisine al fresco or try your luck at the casinos.
Unfortunately, Northern Cyprus is on top of the international community’s agenda; not because of the abovementioned cultural richness. Cyprus has been a de facto divided island in the middle of the Mediterranean since the early 1960s. As one of the guarantor states under the London/Zurich accords of 1959 and the constitution of the Republic of Cyprus (1960), Turkey had to intervene in Cyprus in 1974 in order to stop a military coup backed by a Greek junta that aimed to achieve Enosis, annexing the island of Cyprus to Greece.
Since then, the island has been split into two parts, as Northern Cyprus and Southern Cyprus, by a demilitarized zone under the auspices of UN and British Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs). Southern Cyprus is ruled by the administration of the Republic of Cyprus—the internationally recognized government of Cyprus. Almost the entire South is Greek Cypriot. Northern Cyprus constitutes 37 percent of the island and is controlled by the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which was declared on November 15, 1983.
Representation of Turkish Cypriots after the Referendum for the Annan Plan
Following the well-documented destruction of the constitutional order by the Greek Cypriots in 1963 with the aim of ENOSIS, the two politically equal communities developed separate administrations on the island. The Turkish Cypriot community, exercising its right to self-determination and sovereignty, has evolved administratively into a de facto, independent, democratic entity. Despite the fact that no other country, except Turkey, has recognized the administration of Turkish Cypriots in Northern Cyprus, there is a parallel administration in the North. The Turkish Cypriot administration, representing a population of over 200,000 people, has an effectively functioning, democratically elected government, parliament, an independent judiciary and all other institutions of statehood such as municipalities, public and private health facilities, tax offices, schools, and universities.
In addition, Greek Cypriot sovereignty over the island effectively stops at the United Nations Buffer Zone (Green Line), which was established by Great Britain in 1963 and legitimized by the UN in 1964 in order to protect the Turkish Cypriots from subjugation. At present, all negotiations and agreements under UN auspices towards reaching a peaceful settlement of the Cyprus conflict are therefore based on a bi-communal and bi-zonal model. The buffer zone, or Green Line, between north and south has been open to the free movement of persons since April 2003 and now the passage of goods and services is possible thanks to the Green Line Regulation of the EU. However, these resolutions do not constitute legal grounds to ignore or deny either the existence or the right of self-determination of the Turkish Cypriot Community as one of the two co-founders of the Republic of Cyprus based on the London and Zurich Accords of 1959 and the 1960 Constitution of the Republic.
On the other hand, in April 2004, the UN peace plan, the so-called “Annan Plan”, was voted on in separate referenda on both sides of Cyprus. Referenda are one of the most direct and democratic ways of enabling citizens to decide their fates. However, the result of this historic opportunity for a solution in Cyprus ended in failure due to a ‘no’ vote by a majority of the Greek Cypriots. On the other hand, the Turkish Cypriots played a constructive role towards the goal of reaching lasting peace on the island by voting in favour of the Plan.
The Turkish Cypriots demonstrated that they are in favour of peace and a just settlement in Cyprus. This constructive approach created sympathy in the international community. Many politicians and bureaucrats in the EU and the US appreciated the efforts of the Turkish Cypriots in the referendum process and emphasized that the Turkish Cypriots can no longer be held responsible for the impasse that continues to exist. Indeed, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his report to the Security Council on 28 May 2004, indicates the need to lift all restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot community. The Secretary General invited the members of the Council to “give a strong lead to all States to cooperate both bilaterally and in international bodies, to eliminate unnecessary restrictions and barriers that have the effect of isolating the Turkish Cypriots and impeding their development, not for the purposes of affording recognition or assisting secession, but as a positive contribution to the goal of reunification.”
Furthermore, the European Commission, in its April 2004 “Proposal for a Council Regulation,” invites the European Council to extend direct aid for the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community for the purpose of bringing the Turkish Cypriot community closer to the European Union. According to this document, the Council is “determined to put an end to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community and to facilitate the reunification of Cyprus by encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community.”
However, in spite of the “no” vote by Greek Cypriots in the referendum, the Republic of Cyprus (ROC), represented by the Greek Cypriot administration, has become a member of the EU as of May 1st, 2004. Moreover, the application of the acquis has been suspended in Northern Cyprus pending a comprehensive solution based on the argument that the ROC cannot exercise effective control of the North.
Although the Greek Cypriot administration cannot exercise effective control in the North, all of Cyprus has become a full member of the EU. It has to be questioned whether the Greek Cypriots have the right to represent Turkish Cypriots as well. In the light of UN policies and the EU, it is no longer possible to find sound reasons to accept the Greek Cypriot administration as representing the entire island.
In the April 2004 referenda, the UN and the EU recognized the right of Turkish Cypriots to determine the future state of affairs on the island as equal partners, and has accepted the two sides’ separate inherent constitutive powers. Therefore, considering the Greek Cypriot administration as the sole legal government of Cyprus is entirely contrary to the reality revealed in the referenda held in the north and south of Cyprus on 24 April 2004; it represents a policy of discrimination against the Turkish Cypriots and a contradictory denial of the EU’s recognition of Turkish Cypriots’ rights in its official statements both prior to and since the referenda.
Moreover, the acceptance of the Greek Cypriot Administration as the legal government of the Republic of Cyprus has long been based on the argument of 'state of necessity'. To be able to raise this argument, the existence of an abnormal situation is a precondition. The Greek Cypriot people voted “no” to the basic framework for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem in the April 2004 referendum: consequently, they have contributed to the continuation of the abnormal situation in Cyprus. Therefore, it is not fair to accept the 'state of necessity' principle as the legal ground for supporting the position taken by the Greek Cypriot Administration. Indeed, if the EU continues to consider the Greek Cypriot administration as the only internationally recognized government of the Republic of Cyprus, the Greek Cypriots will have no incentive to terminate the abnormal situation.
To read the article in full, visit the Turkish Policy Quarterly website.
