Turkish Federated State of Cyprus


The Turkish Federated State of Cyprus was the name of a state on the region of Northern Cyprus declared in 1975 and existing until 1983, that was not recognized by the international community. It was succeeded by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is equally only recognized by the Republic of Turkey.

Politics

The UN General Secretary came to Cyprus on 25–26 December 1974, and demanded that bilateral talks be initiated between the two communities. After the Temporary Turkish Cypriot Administration was declared on 28 December 1967, the second phase was put into effect unilaterally on 13 February 1975 with the declaration of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus by the Chairman of the Administration Rauf Denktaş in the Autonomous Turkish Administration Assembly of Cyprus.
In 1975 the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus" was declared as a first step towards a future federated Turkish Cypriot state, but was rejected by the Republic of Cyprus, the UN, and the international community. The United Nations Security Council Resolution 367 stated regret for the declaration, however, it was not regarded as a unilateral declaration of independence and an attempt at breaking away. The Turkish Cypriot leadership, headed by Rauf Denktaş, hoped that the Greek Cypriots would treat them as equals and proceed to proclaim their own federated state. Meanwhile, the transition from an "administration" to a state enabled Turkish Cypriots to write their own constitution. In the 1976 elections, the National Unity Party of Denktaş received 53.7% of votes and gained the majority in the National Council. This parliament then proceeded with the debating and writing of the constitution. All political parties agreed on a federal solution to the problem with continued guarantee of security by Turkey and the debates were centered on ideological, social and economical grounds, with the opposition parties Republican Turkish Party and Communal Liberation Party advocating a parliamentary system and criticizing the draft constitution due to the powers it gave to the president.
After eight years of failed negotiations between the Greek and Cypriot Turkish community, the North declared its independence on November 15, 1983 under the name of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This unilateral declaration of independence was rejected by the UN and the Republic of Cyprus.
For subsequent developments, see Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Economy

In 1978, the imports of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus were 2,067,457,000 Turkish Liras, whilst the exports were 758,453,000 Turkish Liras. In 1980, the imports were 7,086,008,000 Turkish Liras and the exports were 3,345,262,000 Turkish Liras.