Turkish – Greek Relations in the Context of Ethnic Conflict in Cyprus
AbstractIn the political and social fabric of a state, the ethnic identity to which the individual belongs has a significant share. While the ethnic group to which the individual belongs increases intragroup solidarity on the one hand, it can present an exclusivist and otherizing feature against other ethnic groups on the other hand. Discourses and actions that exclude other ethnic identities can fuel conflict between groups. The formation of the greek identity in Cyprus has also been influenced by Byzantine domination and orthodox Christianity in time. This community, which expressed itself as a Greek, was also enthusiastic about having its own state through the nationalism movement of the 20th century. Cyprus entered the Turkish sovereignty in 1571. Cyprus began to become a homeland for Turks from the beginning of the 17th century. With the establishment of the EOKA terrorist organization in 1955, the rum ethnicity has begun acts of violence against the Turks and there were incidents at the level of genocide. Turkish intervention within the framework of international law was unavoidable after increasing of Greek atrocities on the island. This study examines the causes of conflict and violence in Cyprus on the ethnic basis. The willingness of the Greek and Turkish ethnic communities to maintain their presence on the island is analyzed through ethnic identity based aliniation and exclusion approaches.