An international embargo against Northern Cyprus [1] is currently in place in several areas. The embargo is supported by the policy of the United Nations [2] and its application by the European Union is in line with a European Court of Justice (ECJ) decision taken in 1994. [3]
Northern Cyprus, a state solely recognised by Turkey has been under severe embargoes since its unilateral declaration of independence in 1983, [4] and the embargoes are actively promoted by a Greek Cypriot campaign. Among the institutions that refuse to deal with the Turkish Cypriot community are the Universal Postal Union, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Air Transport Association. The economic embargo was greatly exacerbated upon the ruling of the ECJ in 1994, when the food certificates issued by Northern Cyprus were deemed unacceptable for the European Union. [5] Exports and flights from Northern Cyprus take place through Turkey, with direct flights being banned internationally. Turkish Cypriots face embargoes in the areas of sports and culture as well; Turkish Cypriot teams cannot play international matches, Turkish Cypriot athletes may not compete internationally unless they represent another country and some concerts by international musicians or bands in Northern Cyprus have been blocked.
After the economic destruction of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the southern part of the island received heavy subsidies from the international community to develop its economy. Northern Cyprus, meanwhile, only received aid from Turkey and very little international aid. This caused less economic development compared to the south, and an economic dependence on Turkey. [6] The economic embargo prevents foreign cash flow as the external demand is stifled and the use of foreign savings through borrowing and capital inflows is rendered impossible. [4] The embargo has also restricted the tourism sector. [7]
Until 1994, the United Kingdom, Germany, and some other European Countries accepted Turkish Cypriot food products, including citrus, being directly imported. While a 1972 agreement granted access to the European market to goods regulated by the Republic of Cyprus, the agreement was interpreted as applying to the whole island and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce gave certificates that bore the old stamps of Cyprus, rather than that of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus or the TRNC. In 1983, upon the declaration of the TRNC, the Republic of Cyprus changed its stamps and notified the European Union and its member states that only certificates with its new stamps, originating from territory under the control of the Republic, should be accepted. However, the Council of Europe reiterated that both sides should benefit equally from such an agreement, and Turkish Cypriot goods continued to be imported directly. [3] The British Ministry of Agriculture issued a statement that "the Turkish-Cypriot certificates were just as good as the Greek-Cypriot ones." [8]
In 1992, a group of Greek Cypriot citrus producers sued the UK Ministry of Agriculture, and the case was referred to the European Court of Justice. The ECJ ruled against the acceptance of Turkish Cypriot goods, and thus in effect instituted an embargo against Northern Cyprus. The decision has been criticized as the ECJ stepping beyond its scope and precipitating an embargo that should only be imposed by political bodies. [3] The decision also exposed Turkish Cypriot goods to an additional duty of at least 14%, and cargoes were immediately turned back from European countries, resulting in profound damage to the Turkish Cypriot economy. [8]
After the Annan Plan for Cyprus, there were promises by the European Union that sanctions on Northern Cyprus would be eased, including an opening of the ports, but these were blocked by the Republic of Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots can technically export to the world through the Green Line, but this requires the approval of the Republic of Cyprus and heavy bureaucracy, which is perceived as impractical by Turkish Cypriot business people. [9]
In the 2000s and 2010s, global enterprises and companies have opened up to Northern Cyprus through Turkey, which has been perceived as a form of normalization by Turkish Cypriots. However, Turkish Cypriots can access the global market only as consumers, but not as producers, and this access is still dependent on Turkey. [9]
Northern Cyprus is accessible to international communications, postal services and transport only through Turkey. [10]
Flights to the Ercan International Airport of Northern Cyprus are banned internationally. [11] Non-stop flights only take place from Turkey, which is the only country to recognise Northern Cyprus, and all planes that fly to Northern Cyprus from other countries have to stop over in Turkey. [12] In 2005, a non-stop, chartered flight between Azerbaijan and Northern Cyprus, the first one ever from a country other than Turkey, [13] was hailed as a landmark and Azerbaijan started accepting Turkish Cypriot passports. [14]
In the congress of the Universal Postal Union in Rio de Janeiro in 1979, the Republic of Cyprus obtained a declaration that stated that Turkish Cypriot stamps were illegal and invalid. [6]
Turkish Cypriots have partly overcome restrictions on personal travel by obtaining passports issued by the Republic of Cyprus. According to Rebecca Bryant, a specialist on Cyprus, with the development of Turkish Airlines and the bankruptcy of Cyprus Airways, Ercan was busier than Larnaca International Airport as of 2015, but it was still dependent on Turkey. [9]
However, in 2017 Larnaca airport saw a more than 400% increase in customers, [15] as a result of new tight security measures imposed by the UK Department for Transport questioning the status of the airport and forcing passengers travelling between Britain and Northern Cyprus to disembark with their luggage and go through a fresh security check in Turkey in order to board a new aircraft for their final destination. [15] According to Turkish Cypriot tour operators "travellers are now drifting to Larnaca and it will be very hard to bring them back". [15]
Turkish Cypriots cannot participate in international sports competitions. [16] The International Olympic Committee bans Turkish Cypriots from participating in the Olympic Games as independent athletes under the Olympic flag, and requires them to compete under the flag of a recognized country. Meliz Redif, the first Turkish Cypriot to participate in the Olympics, thus had to obtain Turkish citizenship, while some athletes refuse to compete for another country. [17]
Turkish Cypriot teams cannot play international matches. [18] [19] In the first years after the Turkish invasion in 1974, Turkish Cypriot football teams were able to play international matches against teams from countries such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Libya. This was due to the tolerance shown by FIFA upon the initiative of its secretary, Helmut Kaiser. However, after the declaration of independence in 1983, Turkish Cypriot teams and the national team lost the ability to play international matches. [19] The national team of Northern Cyprus wanted to play a match with the Turkey national team in 1984, but this was rejected by FIFA and the Turkish Football Federation was informed that it would face sanctions by FIFA and UEFA if it were to play with the Turkish Cypriot team. In June 1987, the FIFA Executive Board expressly forbade all contact between FIFA members and Northern Cyprus. [20]
A Turkish team, Fenerbahçe SK, had a camp in Northern Cyprus in 1990 and planned to play with a local team, but the match was not allowed by FIFA, who refused to accept the Cyprus Turkish Football Federation as a member. In the ELF Cup that took place in Northern Cyprus in 2006, FIFA successfully pressured the Afghanistan national team not to play in the tournament, and FIFA members Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan sent their futsal teams instead. [19] A Turkish Cypriot bid to join FIFA was rejected again in 2004, after the Annan Plan referendums. [13] In 2007, a friendly football match between Çetinkaya Türk S.K. and Luton Town F.C. was cancelled after Greek Cypriot pressure. In 2014, the Cyprus Turkish Football Federation applied to join the Cyprus Football Association, but the talks reached a deadlock. [18]
The sports isolation encountered by Northern Cyprus is not shared with all other unrecognized states, for example, Transnistria has a team that participates in international competitions. Northern Cyprus has participated in NF Board to ease the effect of international isolation in football. [13]
The Republic of Cyprus deems business conducted in the north as illegal, which has hampered concerts by international bands or singers. [21] In 2010, a concert by Jennifer Lopez, scheduled to take place in Northern Cyprus, was cancelled after extensive campaigning by Greek Cypriot groups. [22] Rihanna also cancelled a concert after a similar campaign. In 2012, Julio Iglesias cancelled a concert and then sued the hotel and Turkish Cypriot authorities, claiming that he had been misled with regards to the legitimacy of the concert. Nevertheless, international concerts continue taking place. [21]
Northern Cyprus cannot participate or apply to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. [16]
Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, north of the Sinai Peninsula, south of the Anatolian Peninsula, and west of the Levant. It is geographically a part of West Asia, but its cultural ties and geopolitics are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the third-largest and third-most populous island in the Mediterranean. It is east of Greece, north of Egypt, south of Turkey, and west of Lebanon and Syria. Its capital and largest city is Nicosia. The northeast portion of the island is de facto governed by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Because Cyprus no longer has a working railway system, various other methods of transport are needed to ensure the proper delivery of any cargo, be it human or freight. Since the last railway was dismantled in 1952, the only remaining modes of transport are by road, by sea, and by air.
Famagusta, also known by several other names, is a city on the east coast of the de facto state Northern Cyprus. It is located east of Nicosia and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. During the Middle Ages, Famagusta was the island's most important port city and a gateway to trade with the ports of the Levant, from where the Silk Road merchants carried their goods to Western Europe. The old walled city and parts of the modern city are de facto part of Northern Cyprus as the capital of the Gazimağusa District.
Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all other states to be part of the Republic of Cyprus.
Larnaca is a city on the south east coast of Cyprus and the capital of the district of the same name. It is the third-largest city in the country, after Nicosia and Limassol, with a district population of 144,200 in 2015.
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in men's international football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is currently the AEK Arena in Larnaca, and the current coach is Temur Ketsbaia.
Ercan International Airport is the primary civilian airport of the de facto state of Northern Cyprus. It is located about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) east of Nicosia, near the village of Tymbou. A new terminal and an extended runway to 3200 meters opened on 20 July 2023. The airport currently only serves flights from and to Turkiye, but it is fully compliant with international standards and able to handle direct flights from other destinations in the future.
AEK Larnaca FC is a Cypriot professional football club based in Larnaca. The club was formed in 1994 after a merger of two historical Larnaca clubs, EPA Larnaca and Pezoporikos. The club also has a men's basketball team, a women's volleyball team and a men's futsal team.
The Northern Cyprus national football team represents Northern Cyprus, a de facto country, in association football. They were a member of the New Federations Board for non-FIFA-affiliated nations, until its dissolution in 2013. Northern Cyprus' home stadium is Nicosia Atatürk Stadium in North Nicosia and their head coach is Fırat Canova. They are the current FIFI Wild Cup champions, having won the event in Germany in June 2006. They are also the current ELF Cup champions, having won the event at home in November 2006.
Football is the national sport of Northern Cyprus. It is governed by the Cyprus Turkish Football Federation, which was set up in 1955. The KTFF oversees the national team and the league system. The top-level national league is the KTFF Süper Lig, followed by the KTFF 1. Lig and the KTFF 2. Lig. The national cup, regulated by the KTFF is the Cypriot Cup. The winner of the league and the cup play the KTFF Super Cup.
Northern Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey, a country which facilitates many of its contacts with the international community. After it was occupied by Turkey, Northern Cyprus' relations with the rest of the world were further complicated by a series of United Nations resolutions which declared its independence legally invalid. A 2004 UN Referendum on settling the Cyprus dispute was accepted by the Turkish Cypriots but rejected by the Greek Cypriots. After that, the European Union declared its intentions to assist in reducing the economic isolation of Northern Cyprus and began giving aid to the territory. However, due to pressure from Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, this aid coming from EU funds cannot be used on Greek Cypriot land and property nor on public bodies. As a result, these funds can be used only on 29 percent of people on the island of Cyprus.
Cyprus is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean. It gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960 and became a republic in the Commonwealth of Nations in 1961. The Republic of Cyprus is a developed country and has been a member of the European Union since 1 May 2004.
Relations between Cyprus and the United States can be described as excellent, both sharing membership in the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. Cyprus has been an observer to the Organization of American States. Cypriots view the United States as their second most trusted ally after France with 62% considering the U.S. a desired ally.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Northern Cyprus:
This page list topics related to Cyprus.
Anorthosis Famagusta, commonly known as Anorthosis in English or Anorthosi in Greek, is a Cypriot football club, part of the Anorthosis Famagusta multi-sport club founded in 1911 in Varosha, Famagusta.
There are 29 sports federations in Northern Cyprus and 13,838 people registered in them as of 2008. Taekwondo-karate-aikido-kurash is the most popular sport with 6054 athletes. It is followed by association football, shooting and hunting.
Nea Salamis Famagusta FC or Nea Salamina Famagusta FC is a Cypriot professional football club based in Ammochostos. It has been a refugee club since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, when Turkey occupied the northern part of the island. There are also fraternal relations with Olympiakos Piraeus.The club is temporarily based in Larnaca.
The Georgia national football team represents Georgia in association football and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation (GFF), the governing body of the sport there. It competes as a member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which encompasses the countries of Europe. Organised football has been played in the country since the 20th century. Georgia joined UEFA and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) in 1992; the country played two friendlies before joining. In 1990-91, due to succession from the Football Federation of the Soviet Union, football in Georgia was under sanctions from the Soviet federation and international ban. In its inspiration to independence from the Russian dominance, Georgia became the first Soviet republic which football parted with the Soviet football.
The history of the Jews in Northern Cyprus is related to the history of the Jews in Cyprus, history of the Jews in Turkey, and the history of the Jews in Greece.