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Cyprus (Republic of Cyprus)
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State on the island of the same name in the eastern Mediterranean.
Territory - 9251 sq. km.
Population - 620 thousand; Greeks - 78%, Turks - 18%, Armenians, etc.
The capital is Nicosia (120 thousand inhabitants.).
The official languages are Greek and Turkish.
Official religions are Orthodox Christianity and Islam.
The peculiarity of the social and economic structure of Cyprus, which became an independent republic only in August 1960, is determined by the peculiarities of its historical development: for centuries it was under a foreign yoke. From 1571 to 1878 Cyprus was under Turkish rule, and then for 82 years was an English colony.
The Zurich-London agreements of 1959-60, which determined the state structure and constitution of Cyprus, did not bring him genuine “dependence, since they were based on serious restrictions on the sovereignty of the republic, opposing the Greek Cypriot to the Turkish Cypriot, the legalized right to interfere in the internal affairs of the country of the guarantor states - England, Greece and Turkey. In accordance with these agreements, England retained a part of the Cypriot territory for "sovereign" military bases, and Greece and Turkey - the right to the presence of contingents of their troops on the island.
The treaties and agreements imposed on the Cypriot people, as well as the incessant attempts by certain circles of the United States and NATO to deprive Cyprus of independence and put it under their control hinder the normal development of the republic, are a constant source of instability and aggravation of the situation on the island.
In December 1963, these forces provoked armed clashes between the Greek and Turkish populations of Cyprus, as a result of which an acute political crisis arose in the country, which has not yet been overcome. By the decision of the UN Security Council dated April 4, 1964, UN troops were deployed on the island, which have been there until now.
An armed coup on July 15, 1974 against the legitimate government of the republic, undertaken by the Greek military and the forces of internal reaction, advocating the annexation of Cyprus to Greece ("enosis"), entailed the landing of large continents of Turkish troops on the island and the capture of about 40 % of the territory in the northern part of the country. This led to a new sharp exacerbation of the situation in Cyprus and created additional difficulties on the path of a just solution to the Cyprus problem.
As a result of negotiations, the Greek and Turkish sides agreed in principle to create a federal Cypriot state with a central government. However, the completion of the negotiations that have begun on this issue is hindered by the position of the United States and its NATO allies, who are interested not in a just settlement of the Cyprus problem, but in strengthening their positions in this area, strengthening the southeastern wing of NATO.
The USSR invariably opposes any attempts to resolve the Cyprus issue behind the backs of the Cypriot people and against their will, for a reasonable consideration of the interests and rights of both communities in Cyprus, with unconditional respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus. The proposals put forward by the USSR to convene a representative international conference on Cyprus within the UN framework, which received the support of the Government of Cyprus and many other peace-loving states, are a realistic step towards resolving the Cyprus problem and preventing foreign interference in Cyprus affairs.
According to the 1960 constitution, Cyprus is a republic of the Commonwealth of Nations. The head of state is the president (since August 1977 - S. Kyprianou), elected by the Greek community for a term of 5 years. For the same term, the Turkish community of the island elects a vice-president - the Turcolo. Legislative power belongs to the House of Representatives (35 Greeks and 15 Turks), elected separately by the Greek and Turkish parts of the population; executive power - to the Council of Ministers (7 Greeks and 3 Turks), headed by the President and Vice President.
Parliamentary elections were held in September 1976 in the territory controlled by the legal government of Cyprus. The parliament elected 35 Greek deputies from 3 political parties - AKEL, DP and EDEC.
Representatives of the Turkish community do not participate in the work of the parliament and government. Since 1967, a "temporary administration" of the Turkish community operated on the island, and in 1975 a separate "Turkish federal state of Cyprus" was unilaterally proclaimed on the territory controlled by Turkish troops and its constitution was approved. In June 1976, elections were held for the "Legislative Assembly" and the president of this "sovereign", who became the leader of the Turkish community, R. Denktash. Political parties of Greek Cypriots: Democratic Party (DP) - the leading bourgeois party, founded in 1976, leader - S. Kyprianou; The United Democratic Union of the Center (EDEC) is a bourgeois democratic party created in 1969;
The Democratic Gathering is an extreme right-wing party. Political parties of Turkish Cypriots: Party of National Unity - right-wing party, formed in 1975, leader - R. Denktash; People's Party, Social Liberation Party, Turkish Republican Party. 'Progressive Party of the Working People of Cyprus (AKEL) - created in April 1941, the successor to the Communist Party founded in 1926. Firmly stands on the positions of Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism, consistently advocates the democratization of social and political life, for the unity and unity of action of all nationalities. forces in defense of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cyprus. Secretary General - E. Papaioannou. The central organ is the Kharavgi newspaper. The theoretical organ is the journal "Neos Dimokratis".
Leading trade unions: the Pancyprian Workers' Federation (PEO) is a mass progressive organization of workers, uniting in its ranks over half of the trade union members (part of the VFS; the Confederation of Cyprus Workers (part of the ICFTU); Turkish Federation of Cyprus Trade Unions (part of the ICFTU).
Public organizations: United Democratic Youth Organization, Pancyprian Federation of Women's Organizations and a number of others.
The basis of the economy is agriculture, which employs about a third of the self-employed population. The industry is dominated by enterprises in the light, food and mining industries.
In 1978, in the territory controlled by the legal government, GNP exceeded the pre-war level (1973) and increased by 1.3% compared to 1977. Harvest in 1978 (in thousand tons): wheat - 20, barley - 67, citrus - 97, potatoes - 145, grapes - 180, vegetables - 96. In 1979, about 1.2 million tons of cement and almost 1 billion kWh of electricity were produced. Tourism is developed. In 1978, but in comparison with 1977, receipts from tourism increased by 40%.
The economy of the Turkish part of the island is developing at a slower pace, where the volume of agricultural and industrial production has not yet reached the level of 1973.
The monetary unit is the Cypriot pound.
The main export items are agricultural products (approximately 50% of the total volume) and minerals. Trade partners are the Common Market countries (they account for over 50% of imports and over 36% of exports), Arab states, and socialist countries.
Over the past five years, prices have increased by 43.1% (in 1978 - by 7.4%), while the wages of workers and employees have increased over this period by only 26%.
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