Today marks 42 years since the illegal declaration of the pseudo-state in the Turkish-occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus.
On November 15, 1983 Turkey and the then Turkish Cypriot leadership illegally declared the occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus as a ‘state’, which is recognised only by Ankara. The international community did not recognise this arbitrary action. A series of resolutions of the UN Security Council, not only condemned it but also characterised the declaration as legally invalid, calling on all UN member states not to recognize it.
In its resolutions 541 and 550, the United Nations Security Council condemns the attempted secession of part of the Republic of Cyprus, considers this action legally invalid and calls for its revocation. It also calls on all states not to recognize it and to respect the independence, territorial integrity and unity of the Republic of Cyprus.
The anniversary of the proclamation of the pseudo-state was condemned by political parties and organisations with announcements and declarations yesterday and today, while students, parties and others are organising anti – occupation events.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
An illegal breakaway entity declared independence unilaterally, on November 15, 1983, in the areas under Turkish occupation, an action condemned by the UN Security Council and the international community as legally null and void.
The illegal declaration followed the partition of the island after the Turkish military invaded Cyprus in 1974, occupying one third of its territory ever since.