Cyprus

A former British colony, Cyprus became independent in 1960 after years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia. Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic intercommunal violence continued and forced most Turkish Cypriots into enclaves throughout the island.

In 1974, a Greek Government-sponsored attempt to overthrow the elected president of Cyprus was met by military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a third of the island. In 1983, the Turkish Cypriot administered area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), but it is recognized only by Turkey. A UN-mediated agreement to reunite Cyprus, the Annan Plan, failed to win approval from both communities in 2004. The most recent round of reunification negotiations was suspended in 2017 after failure to achieve a breakthrough.

The entire island joined the EU in 2004, although the EU acquis -- the body of common rights and obligations -- applies only to the areas under the internationally recognized government and is suspended in the TRNC. However, individual Turkish Cypriots able to document their eligibility for Republic of Cyprus citizenship have the same legal rights accorded to citizens of other EU states.

party to:

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

conventional long form:

Republic of Cyprus

conventional short form:

Cyprus

local long form:

Kypriaki Dimokratia (Greek)/ Kibris Cumhuriyeti (Turkish)

local short form:

Kypros (Greek)/ Kibris (Turkish)

etymology:

the Greek name for the island is Kupros, which is probably derived from the Sumerian kabar , meaning "copper" or "bronze;" copper mines were located on the island in antiquity

note: the Turkish Cypriot community, which administers the northern part of the island, refers to itself as the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" or "TRNC" ("Kuzey Kibris Turk Cumhuriyeti" or "KKTC")

history:

ratified 16 August 1960

amendment process:

• constitution of the Republic of Cyprus -- proposed by the House of Representatives;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the total membership of the "Greek Community" and the "Turkish Community";
• however, all seats of Turkish Cypriot members have remained vacant since 1964

;

• constitution of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” -- proposed by at least 10 members of the "Assembly of the Republic";
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the total Assembly membership and approval by referendum

note: in 1963, the constitution was partly suspended as Turkish Cypriots withdrew from the government; Turkish-held territory in 1983 was declared the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" ("TRNC"); in 1985, the "TRNC" approved its own constitution

chief of state:

President Nikos CHRISTODOULIDIS (since 28 February 2023)

head of government:

President Nikos CHRISTODOULIDIS (since 28 February 2023)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

election/appointment process:

president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (limited to 2 consecutive terms)

most recent election date:

5 February 2023, with a runoff on 12 February 2023

election results:

• 2023: Nikos CHRISTODOULIDIS elected president in second round;
• percent of vote in first round - Nikos CHRISTODOULIDIS (independent) 32%, Andreas MAVROGIANNIS (independent) 29.6%, Averof NEOFYTOU (DISY) 26.1%, Christos CHRISTOU (ELAM) 6%, other 6.3%;
• percent of vote in second round - Nikos CHRISTODOULIDS 52%, Andreas MAVROGIANNIS 48%

;

• 2018: Nikos ANASTASIADIS reelected president in second round;
• percent of vote in first round - Nikos ANASTASIADIS (DISY) 35.5%, Stavros MALAS (AKEL) 30.2%, Nicolas PAPADOPOULOS (DIKO) 25.7%, other 8.6%;
• percent of vote in second round - Nikos ANASTASIADIS 56%, Stavros MALAS 44%

expected date of next election:

2028

note 1: vice presidency reserved for a Turkish Cypriot, but the post has been vacant since 1974 because Turkish Cypriots do not participate in the Republic of Cyprus Government

note 2: under the 1960 constitution, 3 ministerial posts are reserved for Turkish Cypriots, appointed by the vice president, but Greek Cypriots currently hold the positions

area under government control:

Democratic Front or DIPA; Democratic Party or DIKO; Democratic Rally or DISY; Movement of Ecologists - Citizens' Alliance; Movement of Social Democrats EDEK; National Popular Front or ELAM; Progressive Party of the Working People or AKEL (Communist Party); Solidarity Movement

area administered by Turkish Cypriots:

Communal Democracy Party or TDP; Communal Liberation Party - New Forces or TKP-YG; Cyprus Socialist Party or KSP; Democratic Party or DP; National Democratic Party or NDP; National Unity Party or UBP; New Cyprus Party or YKP; People's Party or HP; Rebirth Party or YDP; Republican Turkish Party or CTP; United Cyprus Party or BKP

description:

a copper-colored silhouette of the island is centered on a white field above two crossed green olive branches

meaning:

the olive branches symbolize hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and Turkish communities

note 1: one of two national flags that uses a map as a design element; the flag of Kosovo is the other

note 2: the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" flag retains the white field of the Cyprus national flag but has narrow horizontal red stripes near the top and bottom edges, with a red crescent and a five-pointed red star between them; the banner is modeled on the Turkish national flag, but with the colors reversed

• services-based, high-income EU island economy;
• heavy tourism;
• sustained growth between recovery of national banking system and COVID-19 trade restrictions;
• high living standards;
• a known financial hub, its stock exchange functions as an investment bridge between EU-and EEU-member countries

note: Even though the whole of the island is part of the EU, implementation of the EU "acquis communautaire" has been suspended in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots, known locally as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, until political conditions permit the reunification of the island.

Its market-based economy is roughly one-fifth the size of its southern neighbor and is likewise dominated by the service sector with a large portion of the population employed by the government. Manufacturing is limited mainly to food and beverages, furniture and fixtures, construction materials, metal and non-metal products, textiles and clothing.

Little trade exists with the Republic of Cyprus outside of construction, historically relying heavily upon Turkey for financial aid, defense, telecommunications, utilities, and postal services. The Turkish Lira is the preferred currency, though foreign currencies are widely accepted in business transactions.

established in 1964, the National Guard (EF) is responsible for ensuring Cyprus’s territorial integrity and sovereignty; its primary focus is Turkey, which invaded Cyprus in 1974 and maintains a large military presence in the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; the majority of the force is deployed along the “Green Line” that separates the Greek Cypriots from the Turkish Cypriots;

the EF also participates in some internal missions, such as providing assistance during natural disasters; Greece is its primary security partner and maintains a military presence on Cyprus; the EF has conducted training exercises with other militaries including France, Israel, and the US;

since Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, the EF has actively participated in the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy and has sent small numbers of personnel to some EU and missions; Cyprus is also part of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has been deployed in Cyprus since 1964; its mandate includes supervising the de facto ceasefire that came into effect in August 1974 and maintaining a buffer zone between the lines of the Cypriot National Guard and of the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot forces; UNFICYP has about 1,100 personnel assigned (2025)