Taksim (Cyprus)
The Turkish word Taksim describes efforts to divide the island of Cyprus by the Cypriot Turks in the Cyprus conflict . The term "Taksim" is a loan word from Arabic and means "to share".
The Taksim idea (slogan: "Taksim or Death") was significantly influenced in the early 1950s by the later President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Rauf Denktaş, with considerable support from Great Britain . It stands as a counterpoint to the ambitions of conservative Greek Cypriots of the " Enosis ", the connection of the island to Greece .
When the military junta in Greece tried to overthrow the government of the Republic of Cyprus in 1974 in order to establish a puppet regime and join the island to Greece, Turkey took this as an opportunity to occupy the north of the island in violation of international law . In 1983 the Cypriot Turks proclaimed their own republic, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus . This divided the island in two. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey and is internationally regarded as part of the Republic of Cyprus.
Web links
- "Taksim or Death" - The answer of the Turkish Cypriots; Subchapter 4.2 in the Lexicon of Contemporary History, Historical Institute, RWTH Aachen University : Cyprus Conflict since 1945 ( Memento from July 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive )