One part of Cyprus mourns, the other rejoices 50 years after split

[1/14]Turkish acrobatic aircrafts fly over a military parade to mark the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus in response to a short-lived Greek-inspired coup, in the Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus, in the divided city of Nicosia, Cyprus, July 20. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Cyprus gained independence from Britain in 1960, but a shared administration between Greek and Turkish Cypriots quickly fell apart in violence that saw Turkish Cypriots withdraw into enclaves and led to the dispatch of a U.N. peacekeeping force.

The crisis left Greek Cypriots running the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union since 2004 with the potential to derail Turkey’s own decades-long aspirations of joining the bloc.

It also complicates any attempts to unlock energy potential in the eastern Mediterranean because of overlapping claims. The region has seen major discoveries of hydrocarbons in recent years.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, whose office represents the Greek Cypriot community in the reunification dialogue, said the anniversary was a sombre occasion for reflection and for remembering the dead. He also drew parallels with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the events in Cyprus in 1974.

“The condemnable and unacceptable events we see happening in Ukraine today … were perpetrated 50 years ago in Cyprus and we are living its consequences every day,” he said.

Across the south, church services were held to remember the more than 3,000 people who died in the Turkish invasion.

“It was a betrayal of Cyprus and so many kids were lost. It wasn’t just my son, it was many,” said Loukas Alexandrou, 90, as he tended the grave of his son at a military cemetery.

In Turkey, blanket state television coverage focused on violence against Turkish Cypriots prior to the invasion, particularly on bloodshed in 1963-64 and in 1967.

Turkey’s invasion took more than a third of the island and expelled more than 160,000 Greek Cypriots to the south.

Reunification talks collapsed in 2017 and have been at a stalemate since. Northern Cyprus is a breakaway state recognised only by Turkey, and its Turkish Cypriot leadership wants international recognition.

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Reporting by Michele Kambas, Stamos Prousalis and Yiannis Kourtoglou in Nicosia, Azra Ceylan in Istanbul and Angeliki Koutantou in Athens, Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Tom Hogue, Helen Popper and Timothy Heritage

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Source link : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/one-part-mourns-another-celebrates-cyprus-marks-50-years-since-split-2024-07-20/

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Publish date : 2024-07-20 07:00:00

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