Research On Cyprus And Turkey-Soviet Relations (1960-1980)

The 1960s and 1970s were a period when the Cyprus problem was particularly prominent and the Turkish-Soviet relationship,which had been stagnant since the World War II,was greatly improved.The Cyprus problem in this period was mainly manifested by the outbreak of three crises.The first crisis,the 1964 Cyprus crisis,served as a catalyst for a shift in Turkish foreign policy,providing a convergence of interests for the development of Turkish-Soviet relations.With this opportunity,Turkey finally completed the change from a single pro-American(pro-Western)foreign policy to a multilateral one since the Second World War,and the Soviet Union also achieved the goal of normalizing Turkish-Soviet relations after Stalin’s death in 1953.On this basis,bilateral relations have been able to continue to deepen around the latter two crises.This paper focuses on the three Cyprus crises in 1964,1967 and 1974.By sorting out the development and evolution of the Cyprus issue in the 1960s and 1970s,this paper not only examines the changes of attitudes and policies between Turkey and the Soviet Union in the three Cyprus crises,but more importantly,analyzes how the three crises caused the Turkish-Soviet interaction.In addition to the introduction and conclusion,this study is divided into four chapters.Chapter one first discusses the historical origin of the Cyprus problem.Then it discusses the evolution of interest concerns,attitudes and policies of Turkey and the Soviet union on the Cyprus issue in the 1950s.The second chapter discusses the "thirteen point amendment" proposed by the President of the Republic of Cyprus and the Greek Cypriots leader Makarios to the constitution of the republic of Cyprus,which triggered the conflict between the Turkish and Greek communities in the island of Cyprus in December 1963,and then triggered the island crisis in 1964.On the basis of discussing Turkey’s foreign policy and the development of Turkish-Soviet relations between 1960 and 1963,as well as Turkish-Soviet response to the island conflict,this chapter mainly analyzes the change of attitude between Turkey and the Soviet Union during the crisis and how the crisis caused the Turkish-Soviet interaction.Chapter three focuses on the development of Turkish-Soviet relations and the change of Turkish foreign policy,especially the policy towards Cyprus between 1964 and 1967.Then it analyses the reaction of Turkey and the Soviet Union to the 1967 Cyprus Crisis and the interaction between the two countries.The fourth chapter mainly discusses the response of Turkey and the Soviet Union to the coup in Cyprus in 1974 and the attitude of the Soviet Union to Turkey’s two military missions to the island.On the basis of discussing the development of Turkish-Soviet relations and the changes of the situation on the island between 1967 and 1974,especially the deterioration of relations between Makarios and the Greek military government,this chapter focuses on the change of Soviet attitude towards Turkey’s two military deployments to Cyprus and the interaction between Turkey and the Soviet Union during and after the crisis.This paper holds that the interaction between Turkey and The Soviet Union around the Cyprus issue in the 1960s and 1970s promoted the interaction between the two countries in the fields of politics,economy,science and culture.However,this interaction was limited and did not fundamentally shake the basic principles of the foreign policy of both sides.