CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

A right-wing Greek Cypriot guerrilla organisation, the National Union of Cypriot Fighters, Eoka, fights an armed revolt against British colonial rule aimed at enosis (union with Greece). The campaign has ...

Cyprus gains independence from Britain on 16 August. Britain, Turkey and Greece become guarantor powers of the island’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity under the terms of Cyprus’ constitution. Britain ...

Cyprus becomes a member of the British Commonwealth, joins the Council of Europe, and becomes a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement.

In November, Makarios proposes major amendments to the power-sharing constitution, which he argues are necessary to make the state more functional after repeated deadlock in government. Turkey rejects the proposed ...

Thousands of Turkish Cypriots start moving into defended enclaves and establish their own autonomous administration. The Greek Cypriots alone are now represented in the government, which is recognised internationally as ...

Relations between Makarios’ government and Greece worsen after a group of colonels seize power in a military coup in Athens in April. Greece resumes consultations with Turkey to bring back ...

Makarios announces in January that while enosis remains desirable it is no longer feasible in the prevailing circumstances: independence is the only practical solution. He is also concerned that Greece ...

The junta in Athens begin a sustained covert campaign against Makarios. In March, he walks unscathed from the wreck of his helicopter when it is shot down in a junta-backed ...

Its silver bullet solution having failed, the junta begins a wider armed and political campaign against Makarios. With the help of the Greek junta Grivas returns secretly to Cyprus in ...

Makarios establishes a loyal tactical police reserve that manages to arrest many members of Eoka B, which has been targeting his supporters and attacking police stations.

When Grivas dies of a heart attack in January, Eoka B comes more directly under the control of military junta in Greece which, following a change of leadership the previous ...

In response to the Turkish invasion, the US Congress imposes an embargo on arms sales to Turkey. In retaliation, Turkey closes US bases on its territory, including those that were ...

Makarios and Denktash reach a first High Level Agreement in February setting the goal of a bi-communal federal republic as a basis for negotiations. Makarios dies in August and is ...

After two years of consultations, President Jimmy Carter’s special envoy for Cyprus, Clark Clifford, submits the first comprehensive plan for a Cyprus settlement on behalf of the US, Canada ...

Kyprianou and Denktash reach a second High Level Agreement in May.

Denktash issues a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) in November, proclaiming northern Cyprus as the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”. The UN Security Council condemns the move and calls it ...

Despite Denktash’s UDI, peace talks resume less than a year later and a ‘Draft Agreement’ is reached to reunite Cyprus as a bi-zonal, bi-communal, non-aligned federation. But in a ...

George Vassiliou is elected president in February and starts negotiations with Denktash under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

Turkish forces and the National Guard de-man positions on the narrowest parts of the buffer zone in Nicosia in an Unficyp-brokered arrangement to reduce tensions.

Cyprus in July applies for membership of the EU (the then EEC).

In August, Boutros-Ghali submits a ‘Set of Ideas’, which constitute a detailed framework for a bizonal, bi-communal federation.

Vassiliou loses presidential elections in February and is replaced by Clerides. His talks with Denktash until mid-1994 focus on a major package of confidence-building measures. They agree to the package ...

The European Council says Cyprus and Malta will be involved in the next phase of EU enlargement.

The EU accepts Cyprus’ application for membership as valid.

In August two Greek Cypriot civilians are killed in separate demonstrations along the UN-controlled buffer zone in the worst violence since 1974.

Clerides orders a S-300 missile air defence system from Russia.

Boosted by the missile order, Clerides is re-elected president in February. But following Turkish threats of pre-emptive military action, Clerides decides in November not to take delivery of the missiles ...

The European Council decides that Cyprus can join the EU without a settlement of the Cyprus problem. At the same time, it informs Turkey that it can commence accession negotiations ...

2002 Clerides and Denktash begin UN-sponsored talks in January. Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, presents a comprehensive peace plan in November to reunite Cyprus as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federal republic ...

Clerides loses the presidential elections in February and is succeeded by Tassos Papadopoulos, who has the backing of Akel. Annan invites Papadopoulos and Denktash to the Hague in March to ...

Papadopoulos and Denktash agree at a February meeting in New York to a new procedure aimed at putting the Annan Plan to twin referendums before Cyprus joins the EU on ...

Turkey begins accession negotiations with the EU in October.

The EU partially suspends Ankara’s accession negotiations over Turkey’s refusal to open its ports and airports to traffic from Cyprus, freezing talks on eight of 35 negotiation chapters (policy ...

Cyprus adopts the euro in January. Tassos Papadopoulos loses presidential elections in February and is replaced by Demetris Christofias, the Akel leader. Talks begin between Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader ...

Encouraged by progress in talks between Christofias and Talat, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, visits Cyprus at the end of January. The two leaders assure him of “their shared commitment ...

Cyprus starts exploratory offshore drilling for oil and gas in September. Turkey responds by sending an oil research vessel with a military escort into Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Christofias ...

The two leaders met in Greentree, New York again in January with the UNSG. The UNSG said he was “disappointed with the lack of progress”, and conveyed this disappointment to ...

Disy party leader Nicos Anastasiades was elected president in February, ousting Demetris Christofias and opening the way for yet another process on the Cyprus issue, this time, and for a ...

Anastasiades and Eroglu issue a “Joint Declaration” setting the basis for new, UN-facilitated negotiations. It states the goal is to establish a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, a single ...

Mustafa Akinci wins Turkish Cypriot ‘presidential’ elections on a pro-reunification platform in April, leading to a resumption of Cyprus peace negotiations in May with Nicos Anastasiades in a development that ...

Cyprus exits its EU-IMF bailout programme in March. UN-facilitated negotiations to reunify Cyprus intensify and make good progress throughout the year. Anastasiades and Akinci fail to agree on territorial adjustments ...

Two years of talks between Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci finally paid off when the biggest conference on Cyprus since Burgenstock in 2004 was called for July, with a second real ...

The year started with the re-election of Nicos Anastasiades for a second term in February, despite the massive failure at Crans-Montana only seven months previously. Post-election analysis appeared to show ...

There was zero progress on the resumption of talks in the first half of 2019. Any prospect for a resumption of talks before June was also put on ice early in ...

In late January, the United Nations special envoy for Cyprus Jane Holl Lute said “there’s growing scepticism as to whether reunification is still possible”. The UNSG noted in his ...

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced in February his intention to invite all sides to a five-plus-one informal conference in Geneva to explore if common ground existed to negotiate a solution. ...

With a new failure behind us at Geneva in 2021 and no prospects of a new envoy, the year was a damp squib in terms of the Cyprus issue other than ...

Nikos Christodoulides, a former foreign minister and apprentice of NIcos Anastasiades, is elected president in February as an independent with the backing of the smaller hard-line parties but not his ...

The long-awaited envoy was appointed in early January, kicking off the beginnings of a possible new process. UNSG Antonio Guterres appointed María Angela Holguin of Colombia as his personal ...