The Beginning of a New Era in the Cyprus Problem after the 1967 Crisis: The Inter-Communal Talks

Abstract

This study examines the developments in the Cyprus problem starting from the post-1967crisis to 1971. Firstly, the declaration of the Turkish Cypriot Provisional Administration in December1967 and the reactions to this declaration were analysed. The Turkish Cypriots, who argued that theNovember 1967 crisis once again proved that the Turks on the island were unprotected, stated thatthis new administration was a guarantee for the Turks on the island. In 1968, negotiations betweenthe two communities on the island began in order to find a solution to the Cyprus problem. In thisrespect, this date is important for the Cyprus problem. Previously, negotiations were made betweenAnkara and Athens, but after 1968, negotiations were carried out between the Greek and TurkishCypriots. This study has examined these negotiations between the two communities. While the Turkishside wanted to increase local autonomy with a weak central government, the Greek side advocatedthe formation of a strong central state structure. Because of the disagreement between the two sidesthe negotiations were interrupted in 1971. At that time, it was revealed that the founder of the EOKAterrorist organization, Grivas, secretly returned to the island and established a new organizationunder the name of EOKA-B. This situation increased the concerns about the future of the Cyprusproblem. All these topics are examined in this study.