Cyprus Investment Immigration focuses on Cyprus Immigration Life: On August 16, 1974, when the victorious Turkish invaders split the island of Cyprus in two, tens of thousands of refugees flooded the roads of Cyprus. The northern part, which occupies one-third of the island, is controlled by 30,000 Turkish troops.
The situation in Cyprus has caused a rift within the North Atlantic Alliance. Greece complained that its NATO partners were not helping to deal with the Turks, and thus withdrew its troops from the alliance on Wednesday. Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis rejected Turkey's request on the evening of the 16th to resume talks on Cyprus in Geneva. He also declined an invitation from U.S. President Ford for a visit to Washington. Karamanlis stated that it was absurd to expect Greece to negotiate under the pressure of established facts. U.S. Secretary of State Kissinger expressed his willingness to visit Cyprus and help arrange a political solution.
Since Cyprus gained independence from British rule in 1960, the island has been in turmoil. Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots have been fighting on the island for most of the past decade. The Greek population is larger than the Turkish population, with a ratio of 4:1 or 5:1, and now thousands of Greek Cypriots are trapped behind the Turkish front line in the north. Similarly, many Turkish Cypriots are isolated in the south. They are trying to move north. The Turkish front line divides the capital, Nicosia, in two. Intense fighting along the Greek side of the Nicosia front continued until a ceasefire order took effect. During the conflict, five United Nations peacekeeping soldiers were killed.