Political relations between the USSR, Greece, and Turkey on the Cyprus issue from 1950 to the 1970s

Abstract

The Cyprus question was an important issue for the international community from 1950 to the 1970s, and one on which the USSR, Greece, and Turkey held opposing views. The population of Cyprus, which, since 1925, had been an important British outpost in the Mediterranean, was struggling against the colonial regime for independence. The USSR supported demands for the creation of an independent state. The Greek government would rather have united Cyprus with Greece. Turkey was strongly opposed to both ideas and would at most agree to split the island with Greece. The British government regarded the Cyprus issue as an internal matter, while the USA had pressed on many occasions to be allowed to establish military bases on the island. It is important to examine the UN resolutions on the matter and the changing positions of the countries involved after the formation of the Republic of Cyprus. This study is based on materials from the Foreign Policy archive of the Russian Federation.