Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 effectively dividing the island like Berlin after World War Two into the American, British, French and Russian sectors. In Cyprus the division was the Greek and Turkish sectors with a “buffer zone” patrolled by United Nations peacekeeping forces.
“Cyprus in Winter” is a documentary explaining events leading up to the Greek and Turkish carve out of 1974.
As a gift to Greece for participating with the Allied forces in World War 1 Britain offered Cyprus to Greece a gift rejected by the Greeks demanding the return of Constantinople. The Turks had relinquished Cyprus to the Brits in 1870. A possible gigantic error on the part of Greece in refusing the “gift”.
As many British colonies asserted their independence in the 1950’s and given the strategic importance of Cyprus for British and American naval and petrol supplies England held on to Cyprus.
In 1960 Cyprus gained independence largely due to the efforts of Archbishop Makarios and a constitution guaranteeing the rights of the Turkish Cypriot minority including a requirement that 70% of the Cypriot House of Representatives would be Greek and 30% Turkish. The President (initially Makarios) would be Greek and the Vice President Turkish.
Makarios attempted to limit the rights of the Turks in 1964 and from that point on Greek and Turkish militias and terrorist groups tarried with rounds of terrorism and tit tat violence. The United Nations Security Counsel established the peace keeping force as a result. The Greek military junta in power in Athens had attempted to assassinate Makarios in 1974 in its view that the Greek Cypriot terrorist group EOKA was the pawn of the Soviet Union. The assassination failed causing an enormous backlash of shame and anger in Greece toppling the junta and lead to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Makarios died in 1977. He had played off country after country in his attempt to create a separate nation state without success.
A short documentary covering Cyprus is an ambitious attempt and succeeds in giving the viewer a basic understanding of a point in Cypriot history. A brief description of Cyprus’ territorial military importance would have been appreciated.
The director of this Canadian short documentary is Dannis Koromilas.
For screening information https://gifft.ca .
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