Foreign relations of Cyprus 5602 219506897 2008-06-15T15:36:40Z El Greco 1876487 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 219483682 by [[Special:Contributions/78.168.66.18|78.168.66.18]] ([[User talk:78.168.66.18|talk]]) source? [[WP:CRYSTAL]] {{Politics of Cyprus}} Cyprus is a member of the [[United Nations]]<ref name='S/4469'> {{cite web|url=http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/157/44/IMG/NR015744.pdf?OpenElement |title=UN Security Council Resolution 155 (1960) |accessdate=2007-01-29 |date=23 Aug 1960 |format=PDF |publisher=United Nations}}</ref> and most of its agencies as well as the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], [[World Bank]], [[International Monetary Fund]] and [[Council of Europe]]. In addition, the country has signed the [[General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]] (GATT) and the ''Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency Agreement'' (MIGA). ===Non-Alignment=== [[Cyprus]] has historically followed a non-aligned foreign policy, although it increasingly identifies with the West in its cultural affinities and trade patterns, and maintains close relations with [[Greece]]. The prime originator of Cypriot non-alignment was [[Makarios III]], the first [[Presidents of Cyprus|President]] (1960-1977) of the independent republic of Cyprus. Prior to independence, Makarios - by virtue of his post as [[List of Archbishops of Cyprus|Archbishop of Cyprus]] and head of the [[Cypriot Orthodox Church]] - was the Greek Cypriot Ethnarch, or [[de facto]] leader of the community. A highly influential figure well before independence, he participated in the 1955 [[Bandung Conference]]. After independence, Makarios took part in the 1961 founding meeting of the [[Non-Aligned Movement]] in [[Belgrade]]. [[Image:CyprusDiplomaticRelations.png|thumb|left|400px|Diplomatic relations of Cyprus. Dark blue: Cyprus; Blue: Embassy level; Light blue: Consulate level.<ref>Including parallel accreditation of another Cypriot embassy</ref><ref>Cyprus is represented in most of the rest states by embassies of other [[European Union]] member states</ref><ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/mfa2006.nsf/index_en/index_en?OpenDocument Cyprus, Ministry of Foreign Affairs]</ref>]] Reasons for this neutrality may lie in the extreme pressures exerted on the infant Republic by its larger neighbours, Turkey and Greece. [[Cyprus dispute|Intercommunal rivalries]] and movements for [[enosis|union with Greece]] or partial union with Turkey may have persuaded Makarios to steer clear of close affiliation with either side. In any case Cyprus became a high-profile member of the Non-Aligned Movement and retained its membership until its entry into the [[European Union]] in 2004. At the non-governmental level, Cyprus has also been a member of the popular extension of the Non-Aligned Movement, the [[Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organisation]] hosting several high-level meetings. Immediately after the 1974 Greek-sponsored [[coup d'etat]] and the [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion]], Makarios secured international recognition of his administration as the legitimate government of the whole island. This was disputed only by [[Turkey]], which currently recognises only the [[Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus]], established in 1983. Since the 1974 crisis, the chief aim of the foreign policy of the Republic of Cyprus has been to secure the withdrawal of Turkish forces and the reunification of the island under the most favourable constitutional and territorial settlement possible. This campaign has been pursued primarily through international forums such as the [[United Nations]] and the [[Non-Aligned Movement]], and in recent years through the European Union. ===European Union=== Cyprus' 1990 application for full [[European Union|EU]] membership caused a storm in the Turkish Cypriot community, which argued that the move required their consent. Following the December [[1997]] EU Summit decisions on [[EU enlargement]], accession negotiations began [[March 31]] [[1998]]. Cyprus joined the European Union on [[May 1]] [[2004]]. To fulfil its commitment as a member of the European Union, Cyprus withdrew from the Non-Aligned Movement on accession, retaining observer status. The Government of Cyprus enjoys close relations with Greece. Cyprus is expanding relations with [[Russia]], [[Israel]], and [[Syria]], from which it purchases most of its oil. In the past it had some difficulty with both [[Israel]] and [[Egypt]]. ===United Kingdom=== The continuing British sovereignty of the [[Dhekelia and Akrotiri]] areas, has continued to divide Cypriots. The base areas are not under the jurisdiction of the Cypriot government. Several Cypriot villages remain enclaved in the areas, and there have been numerous arrests of anti-British demonstrators over the past few years. These activists assert that the UK should not continue to hold territory in another EU state. ===Israel=== Cyprus has frequently expressed concern over Israel's close defense relationship with Turkey. In the case of [[Israel]], Cyprus has occasionally outwardly backed the [[Palestinian]]s in the [[Arab-Israeli conflict]], to the annoyance of some in the Israeli government. Cyprus, like over 100 other countries, officially recognizes Palestine as a de facto state. The island is also host to a number of Palestinian and Lebanese refugees. However, relations between the two countries suffered when Cypriot first lady Antroulla Vasiliou, the wife of President [[George Vasiliou]], was declared [[Persona Non Grata]] in Israel when a delegation she was leading attempted to meet with [[Yasser Arafat]], who was under house arrest. Controversy and public outcry arose in the early 2000s, when members of the Cypriot branch of the [[Greek Orthodox Church]] were accused of selling church-owned land in the [[West Bank]] to Israeli developers, putting Cypriot commitment to the Palestinian cause at question. The expulsion of two alleged Israeli spies from the island in 1998 also caused tension between the two governments. The two countries now appear to be on good relations, at least commercially with agriculture and tourism. The Cypriot government has also been reported to be making deals with both Israel and Egypt in exploring for oil off the southern Cyprus coast. ===Egypt=== [[Egypt]] is a close ally, sharing as it does an oilfield with [[Cyprus]]. The relationship between the two countries was also strained in February 1978 when Cypriot National Guardsmen shot dead Egyptian Commandos at [[Larnaca International Airport]] when the commandos attempted to intervene in a hostage situation. '''Disputes - international:''' The 1974 invasion of the Turkish army divided the [[island nation]] into two. The internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus currently has effective control in the south of the island (59% of the island's land area) while its area not under its effective control makes up 37% of the island. Turkey utilising the territory occupied during the [[Turkish Invasion of Cyprus |invasion]] recognizes a declared [[separatism|separatist]]<ref>Christopher Hitchens, Uncorking the Genie: The Cyprus Question and Turkey's Military Rule MERIP Reports, No. 122, Turkey under Military Rule (Mar. - Apr., 1984), pp. 25-27, doi:10.2307/3011799</ref> [[Declaration of Independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus|UDI]] of Turkish Cypriots in [[1983]], contrary to multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions. The two territories of the Republic are separated by a [[United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus|United Nations Buffer Zone]] (4% of the island); there are two [[Sovereign Base Areas|UK sovereign base areas]] mostly within the Greek Cypriot portion of the island. '''Illicit drugs:''' Cyprus is a minor transit point for [[heroin]] and [[hashish]] via air routes and container traffic to [[Europe]], especially from [[Lebanon]] and [[Turkey]]; some [[cocaine]] transits as well. The island has also been criticised for supposedly lax arms control legislation. ==See also== *[[Cypriot diplomatic missions]] *[[List of diplomatic missions in Cyprus]] *[[List of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus]] *[[Foreign relations of Northern Cyprus]] *[[British-Cypriot relations]] *[[Cyprus-French relations]] *[[Cyprus-Irish relations]] *[[Cyprus-Maltese relations]] ==References== {{reflist}} {{Foreign relations of Cyprus}} {{Foreign relations of Europe}} [[Category:Foreign relations of Cyprus| ]] [[Category:Foreign relations by country|Cyprus]]