ABSTRACT
The aim of this article is to examine the existing military balance of
power on the island and whether Turkey, as one of the guarantors of the 1960
Cyprus Republic, would need to establish a military base on the island due to
the hydrocarbon-derived crisis taking place in the Eastern Mediterranean and
the special military agreements unilaterally signed by Greek Cypriot
Administration (GCA) with other countries against Turkey and Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The scope of this article is to elaborate the
military bases and forces on the island, the military agreements signed by the
both parties, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, the balance of power of each
side, effects of the hydrocarbon resources within the Exclusive Economic Zones
(EEZ) of Turkey, TRNC and GCA, the international crisis on the verge to arise
from the overlapping EEZ’s of Turkey, TRNC and GCA and the military
co-operation need of TRNC with Turkey, to withstand the possible military
threats of GCA and allies. The major findings on the issue reveal a unique
military structure in the island never seen in the history of the world before.
According to the 1960 Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, announced on 16
August 1960, there exists three different military forces on the Cyprus island.
First one is the British Sovereign bases consisted of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
The second one is the Greek Regiment of 950 personnel and the third is the
Turkish Regiment of 650 personnel. In addition to these, there is the Greek National
Guard Army, which has approximately 120,000 personnel where 80 percent of the
officers of the Greek Cypriot National Guards are officers from the Greek Armed
Forces of Greece. The Turkish Cypriot Security Forces of 5000 personnel and the
Turkish Peace Force of 24,000. And there is the United Nations Force in Cyprus
(UNFICYP) as an unbiased, neutral military force. The Greek Cypriot
Administration (GCA) is continuing its activities starting from 1963 to bring
its presence on the island to the point of ownership and to take over the
entire island of Cyprus. At the beginning of the twentieth century, with the
encouragement and support of the powerful European States, the Greeks stepped
on the shores of Anatolia on May 15, 1919, in order to seize the whole of
Western Anatolia and reestablish the “Great Hellen Empire”. With the aim of
capturing the island of Cyprus and realizing enosis, unification with
motherland Greece, as one of the steps of their “Great Ideal”, on July 15,
1974, with the support of the Colonel’s junta in Greece, the Greeks had
organized a coup in Cyprus and declared unilaterally “The Cyprus Hellenic
Republic”. “The Cyprus Hellenic Republic” had lost its validity and took its
place in the dusty pages of history, after the intervention of Turkey, under
Article 4 of Addendum 1 of “Guarantees and Treaty of Alliance” in accordance
with international law, who was one of the Guarantor powers of Republic of
Cyprus, declared on August 16, 1960. After this intervention two different
administrations, Greek Cypriot Administration and Turkish Cypriot
Administration were formed on the island. Greek Cypriots have since adopted a
strategy that seeks to take over the entire island, including its Exclusive
Economic Zone. The Greek Cypriots and Greeks, who could not realize the
unification of Cyprus with Greece according to the Megali Idea “Great ideal”
which was declared in 1796, after the intervention of Turkey, in accordance
with international law in July 20, 1974, have begun attempts to remove the
relevant item in the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, to avoid the
intervention of Turkey again in their next attempt to capture and dominate the
Cyprus island. In addition to their attempts to avoid the intervention of
Turkey in the future, the Greeks had determined the strategy to give permission
to some of the member states of European Union to use their naval and air ports
whenever they needed, to guarantee their military support, if one day they are
forced to enter into armed conflict with Turkey. For this reason, some of the
member countries of European Union and some others have the right to use
military facilities or existing air and sea ports within the borders of Greek
Cypriot Administration (GCA). As a result, it turns out that the Turkish
Cypriots need to take counter measures in spite of the attempts of Greek
Cypriots and Greece to take over the whole island. One of these measures is the
military alliance agreement to be signed by Turkey, who for the time being
possesses one of the most powerful armies of the region, and Turkish Republic
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) allowing building a military
air and naval base with in their territories. This article has been prepared
for the purpose of better investigation and evaluation of this subject. The conclusion
of this article puts forward the everlasting will of Greek Cypriots to get hold
of the Cyprus island and government in full, The Turkish Cypriots and Turkey’s
deliberate opposition to this will and their efforts to block it, the
international political crisis originated from the hydrocarbon resources in the
Eastern Mediterranean, and the strategies of USA, EU and Russia to have some
legal rights directly or indirectly on the regional energy resources.