Should a Military Base Be Established in TRNC?

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine the existing military balance of power on the island and whether Turkey, as one of the guarantors of the 1960 Cyprus Republic, would need to establish a military base on the island due to the hydrocarbon-derived crisis taking place in the Eastern Mediterranean and the special military agreements unilaterally signed by Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA) with other countries against Turkey and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The scope of this article is to elaborate the military bases and forces on the island, the military agreements signed by the both parties, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, the balance of power of each side, effects of the hydrocarbon resources within the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of Turkey, TRNC and GCA, the international crisis on the verge to arise from the overlapping EEZ’s of Turkey, TRNC and GCA and the military co-operation need of TRNC with Turkey, to withstand the possible military threats of GCA and allies. The major findings on the issue reveal a unique military structure in the island never seen in the history of the world before. According to the 1960 Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, announced on 16 August 1960, there exists three different military forces on the Cyprus island. First one is the British Sovereign bases consisted of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The second one is the Greek Regiment of 950 personnel and the third is the Turkish Regiment of 650 personnel. In addition to these, there is the Greek National Guard Army, which has approximately 120,000 personnel where 80 percent of the officers of the Greek Cypriot National Guards are officers from the Greek Armed Forces of Greece. The Turkish Cypriot Security Forces of 5000 personnel and the Turkish Peace Force of 24,000. And there is the United Nations Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) as an unbiased, neutral military force. The Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA) is continuing its activities starting from 1963 to bring its presence on the island to the point of ownership and to take over the entire island of Cyprus. At the beginning of the twentieth century, with the encouragement and support of the powerful European States, the Greeks stepped on the shores of Anatolia on May 15, 1919, in order to seize the whole of Western Anatolia and reestablish the “Great Hellen Empire”. With the aim of capturing the island of Cyprus and realizing enosis, unification with motherland Greece, as one of the steps of their “Great Ideal”, on July 15, 1974, with the support of the Colonel’s junta in Greece, the Greeks had organized a coup in Cyprus and declared unilaterally “The Cyprus Hellenic Republic”. “The Cyprus Hellenic Republic” had lost its validity and took its place in the dusty pages of history, after the intervention of Turkey, under Article 4 of Addendum 1 of “Guarantees and Treaty of Alliance” in accordance with international law, who was one of the Guarantor powers of Republic of Cyprus, declared on August 16, 1960. After this intervention two different administrations, Greek Cypriot Administration and Turkish Cypriot Administration were formed on the island. Greek Cypriots have since adopted a strategy that seeks to take over the entire island, including its Exclusive Economic Zone. The Greek Cypriots and Greeks, who could not realize the unification of Cyprus with Greece according to the Megali Idea “Great ideal” which was declared in 1796, after the intervention of Turkey, in accordance with international law in July 20, 1974, have begun attempts to remove the relevant item in the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, to avoid the intervention of Turkey again in their next attempt to capture and dominate the Cyprus island. In addition to their attempts to avoid the intervention of Turkey in the future, the Greeks had determined the strategy to give permission to some of the member states of European Union to use their naval and air ports whenever they needed, to guarantee their military support, if one day they are forced to enter into armed conflict with Turkey. For this reason, some of the member countries of European Union and some others have the right to use military facilities or existing air and sea ports within the borders of Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA). As a result, it turns out that the Turkish Cypriots need to take counter measures in spite of the attempts of Greek Cypriots and Greece to take over the whole island. One of these measures is the military alliance agreement to be signed by Turkey, who for the time being possesses one of the most powerful armies of the region, and Turkish Republic Northern Cyprus (TRNC) allowing building a military air and naval base with in their territories. This article has been prepared for the purpose of better investigation and evaluation of this subject. The conclusion of this article puts forward the everlasting will of Greek Cypriots to get hold of the Cyprus island and government in full, The Turkish Cypriots and Turkey’s deliberate opposition to this will and their efforts to block it, the international political crisis originated from the hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the strategies of USA, EU and Russia to have some legal rights directly or indirectly on the regional energy resources.