Clearly bi-communal post-independence From the outset, the RoC constitution and affairs of state were explicitly bi-communal — with a power sharing agreement between both Greek and Turkish Cypriots.This was reflected, for instance, in its presidency, with the Greek Orthodox Archbishop Makarios as its first President, and the Turkish Cypriot Dr. Fazil Küçük as its Vice President.Each side also had the right of veto, a quota of cabinet seats, and the right to manage their own religious, education, and sporting affairs directly.

Enosis (Union) However, since early on, the Greek Cypriot Orthodox Church and other groups had already been planning to bring Cyprus into -Enosis-. That is to say, a full union with Greece.President Makarios went so far as to swear an oath that he would achieve this goal upon becoming an archbishop in 1950. And that same year, he oversaw an unofficial referendum with support from the church in Athens. The plebiscite, in which Greek Cypriots were the only participants, saw a 95 per cent vote in favour of Enosis.

Kanli Noel (Bloody Christmas)After the signing of the 1960 treaties, it did not take long for the situation to deteriorate into inter-communal violence.A conflict erupted in late December 1963, during which supporters of Enosis massacred and expelled large numbers of Turkish Cypriots from their homes in events known as Kanli Noel or the -Bloody Christmas-.The conflict was the result of the Akritas Plan, that was overseen by Makarios and viewed by Turkish Cypriots as a -blueprint for genocide-. The scheme involved mounting a coup against the existing constitutional system through a paramilitary group called EOKA and, in doing so, subjugating Turkish Cypriots by forcing them to accept minority status.The Akritas Plan also included details about encouraging the community to leave the island and, where required, killing Turkish Cypriots to create the necessary climate of fear and stifle opposition to Greek Cypriot rule.

A miserable decade ahead The tragedy saw many Turkish Cypriots and, in some cases, whole villages flee to tiny enclaves that represented just three per cent of the islands territory.In 1964, as many as a quarter of the entire community are believed to have been displaced.These enclaves were initially governed mainly by Turkish Cypriot former RoC officials, headed by Dr. Fazil Küçük and his deputy Rauf Denktas, who would later go on to be the TRNCs first President.Unfortunately, the next ten years were terrible for Turkish Cypriots.Ipek Özerim, a British Turkish Cypriot journalist well acquainted with these events, told Islam21c about the communitys experience,-Turkish Cypriots lived under brutal conditions for a decade. -Everyday items from baby milk to cement were banned by the Greek Cypriot authorities, and movement across the island was restricted. Turkish Cypriots were subject to all manner of humiliating stops and searches, and their property was seized.-People were killed with impunity, and some went missing, never to be seen again. This was all aided and abetted by the Greek Cypriot-controlled Republic of Cyprus.-

1974: Turkey launches Cyprus Peace Operation Makarios out, Sampson in This year saw a seismic event in this story. A more militant pro-Enosis group known as EOKA-B carried out an Athens-backed coup that toppled RoC President Makarios, replacing him with hardline Greek Cypriot nationalist Nikos Sampson.Known as -the executioner of Murder Mile- for his role in the killing of numerous British servicemen and civilians in the 1950s, and accused of multiple atrocities against Turkish Cypriots in 1963-4, Sampsons coming to power was naturally an existential concern for the already beleaguered community. Guarantor states right to take unilateral action Importantly, the fourth article of the RoCs Treaty of Guarantee gave the guarantor states the right to intervene in Cyprus to restore constitutional order, if either community violated the agreements provisions.This included taking unilateral action if the guarantors were unable to agree a joint approach.Turkey had already intervened once before, a decade earlier in 1964, providing aerial support that saved Turkish Cypriots in the vital port village of Erenköy from heavy shelling by Greek Cypriot forces. This time, however, after London refused to conduct a joint operation, the Turkish government — led by coalition partners Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit, and Deputy Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan — launched the Cyprus Peace Operation to safeguard Turkish Cypriots from genocide. Turkish military presence provides stability The military operation took place in two stages, and ended with the Turkish Armed Forces taking control of some 37 per cent of Cyprus total territory. Turkeys military presence remains on the island to this day, and is still greatly valued by many Turkish Cypriots as a security guarantee.Turkish Cypriot fears were unquestionably valid; in fact, Nikos Sampson would later tell a Greek newspaper that if not for Ankaras intervention, he would have -annihilated- the community on the island.

One island, two states? Turkish Cypriots forced to secede The post-intervention situation ultimately led to a permanent partition of Cyprus into two ethnic zones, a Turkish North and a Greek South, bolstered by a voluntary population exchange agreement in 1975 that allowed members of both communities to re-settle with their compatriots on either the Greek or Turkish-majority sides.Shortly before the agreement, the Turkish Cypriots had reorganised their administration into a federated state, and sought to re-establish the RoC as a federal country. However, the Greek Cypriot leadership, still in control of the republic, its remaining territory, and institutions, refused to accept this, and lay claim to the entire island.By late 1983, the United Nations had offered no fewer than six reunification plans, all of which were rejected by the Greek Cypriot authorities, ultimately prompting the Turkish Cypriots to formally secede from the RoC and declare the TRNC on 15 November that year.Tatar has backing of Turkish President Erdogan. As for Ersin Tatar, the President came to power in 2020 with a mandate to push for the international recognition of the TRNC as part of a lasting two-state solution to the long-running Cyprus dispute.He has the firm backing of Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ankara, which have both been instrumental in opening diplomatic doors for Tatar.Despite resistance from Greek Cypriots and the international community, the UK-educated TRNC President has pursued his two-state policy, pointing to 11 unsuccessful international attempts to re-integrate the two sides since the conflict broke out in 1963, with the most recent effort failing in 2017. The current status quo marks a longstanding inability of the international community to grasp the nettle about the root causes of the Cyprus conflict and what is preventing a just settlement.EU broke its own rules by admitting RoC into union In 2004, simultaneous referendums were held on both sides of the island on a UN plan that would have united the Greek and Turkish Cypriot administrations as a single bi-zonal, bi-communal federal country.Two thirds of Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of the plan, while 76 per cent of Greek Cypriot voters rejected it.Bizarrely, it was the rejectionist side who were rewarded, as a week after the referendum the Greek Cypriot-controlled Republic of Cyprus was admitted into the European Union as the sole -legitimate- government of the entire island, despite breaching the EUs own rules by accepting a divided territory with unresolved political problems as a member state. World ignoring TRNC while embracing RoC. Unfortunately for the Turkish Cypriots, they and their state were left out in the cold after the disastrous EU action. And a plethora of promises made by global leaders to end their international isolation have never been fulfilled. Worse still, both Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration have since weaponised their EU status by vetoing moves that would accommodate Turkish Cypriot rights, such as direct trade between the bloc and the embargoed TRNC. It appears that while the world treats one side as a state and the other as a mere community, there can be no breakthrough in the political deadlock in Cyprus. In this context, it should come as no surprise that President Tatar has reaffirmed his call for -two equal, sovereign states- to be recognised ahead of any new UN-brokered negotiations commencing. May Allah grant a just resolution for all the people of that beautiful island.