Cyprus
Independence from the UK was approved in 1960 with constitutional guarantees by the Greek Cypriot majority to the Turkish Cypriot minority. In 1974 a Greek-sponsored attempt to seize the government was met by military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled almost 40% of the island. In 1983 the Turkish-held area declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, but it is recognized only by Turkey. Cyprus talks resumed in December 1999 to prepare the ground for a comprehensive settlement.
While there are no known direct threats against expatriates in Cyprus, there are occasional low-level bombings against commercial targets, particularly near Limassol. The bombings have usually targeted banks brokerage houses and newspaper offices and are like related to local or business disputes.
The continued division of the island between the Greek dominated south and Turk dominated north continues to be the main political issue in the country. Both Greece and Turkey play an important role in Cyprus and relations with these two countries dominate Cypriot politics
Public demonstrations and large public gatherings occur and may turn violent, especially around the UN Buffer Zone. Visitors avoid discussions in public areas of sensitive issues related to the problems of Cyprus' continued division.
Tassos Papadopoulos won presidential elections in 2003. He defeated his veteran predecessor, Glafcos Clerides, who had been president since 1993 and at the forefront of Cypriot politics for many years before that. Papadopoulos was thought to have picked up votes from those who believed Clerides to have made too many concessions at UN-sponsored talks for unification with the Turkish north. Papadopoulos took over negotiations on whether or not to accept the UN plan, negotiations which ended without agreement. On the eve of the May 2004 EU entry date, Papadopoulos urged the Greek Cypriot community to vote no in the referendum on the UN's 11th hour revised settlement plan. He insisted that the deal for Greek Cypriots returning to their former homes in the north was not good enough.
The United Nations Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) patrols a buffer zone between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. Except for occasional demonstrations or incidents along the buffer zone, there has been no violent conflict between the two sides since 1974.
The partial lifting of restrictions on crossing the “Green Line” allows Cypriots to cross at designated crossing points from the north to the south. It is possible to travel to the north of Cyprus from the south by crossing at several checkpoints, including the Ledra Palace checkpoint in central Nicosia. Foreign nationals who have entered Cyprus through the north are considered by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to have entered Cyprus through an illegal port of entry.
