Hopes Rise for Unification of Strategically Important Island of Cyprus

Cyprus joined the EU in May 2004, but the northern third of the island—which is occupied by Turkish troops—is not covered by EU law.
Hopes Rise for Unification of Strategically Important Island of Cyprus
People watch as a tank takes part in a military parade marking the 60th anniversary of independence, in Nicosia, Cyprus, on Oct. 1, 2025. Iakovos Hatzistavrou/AFP via Getty Images
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Cyprus’s Nicosia is the only capital city in the world still divided, as United Nations peacekeeping troops man a buffer zone between two communities.

The island, which holds a strategically important position in the eastern Mediterranean and is only 250 miles from the coast of Israel, has been divided since 1974, when the Turkish army invaded, ostensibly to defend the Turkish Cypriot minority from extremists within the Greek Cypriot majority.

Chris Summers
Chris Summers
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Chris Summers is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of national stories, with a particular interest in crime, policing and the law.