The Union of Cypriots (; ) is a
progressive and
Cypriot nationalist political organization
A political organization is any organization that involves itself in the political process, including political parties, non-governmental organizations, and special interest advocacy groups. Political organizations are those engaged in polit ...
in
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
.
The Union of Cypriots campaigns for a
unitary
Unitary may refer to:
Mathematics
* Unitary divisor
* Unitary element
* Unitary group
* Unitary matrix
* Unitary morphism
* Unitary operator
* Unitary transformation
* Unitary representation
* Unitarity (physics)
* ''E''-unitary inverse semigr ...
Cypriot state, the restoration of the
constitutional
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
order that was destroyed in
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
after the
crisis of 1963–64, and the ending of the
Turkish occupation of Cyprus
Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a '' de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all ot ...
.
History and overview
The Union of Cypriots' origins root back to different organisations including the
World Union of Turkish-speaking Cypriots, and the youth organisation
LINOBAMBAKI, which was one of the formations that led the
2011 Turkish Cypriot protests. The organization supports a unitary solution instead of a federal one, concerning the
reunification of Cyprus. With the idea of Cyprus belonging to all Cypriots,
Greek Cypriots
Greek Cypriots (, ) are the ethnic Greeks, Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest Ethnolinguistic group, ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2023 census, 719,252 respondents recorded their ethnicity as Greek, forming al ...
and
Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( or ; ) are so called ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are mainly Sunni Muslims. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land onc ...
, the organisation supports turning back to
1960 constitution, and reinforcing it more in the line of "one nation, one flag, one homeland and one state" view. The organization campaigns against Turkey's
illegal settlement policy in Cyprus. The Union of Cypriots brings out a publication called ''Liberate Cyprus''. The main slogan of the organization is "Cyprus for Cypriots".
The organization supported Cypriots who were targeted in the occupied areas of Cyprus, in events such as the prosecution of some community members for hanging the
flag of the Republic of Cyprus in 2013, the attacks against the
Afrika newspaper by
Turkish settlers in 2018, the court cases that were filed against journalists by
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
in 2019, and the actions against the workers who wanted to cross barricades to enter the free areas in 2020. Because of its activities, the leadership of the organization was blacklisted and declared
persona non grata
In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...
by Turkey in 2021.
In 2019, the Union of Cypriots expressed its intention to participate in the
European Parliament elections
Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by Universal suffrage, universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are the second largest democratic elections in the world after Electio ...
independently, but later joined the
Jasmine Movement independents list. In 2024, the Union of Cypriots, in cooperation with the
Green Party of Cyprus and the socialist ''AIHMI'' movement, participated in the
European Parliament elections
Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by Universal suffrage, universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are the second largest democratic elections in the world after Electio ...
with a joint list of candidates.
The Union of Cypriots is a member of international organisations such as the ''
International League of Peoples' Struggle
The International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) is an international organization that seeks to coordinate anti-imperialist and democratic movements around the world. Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman José María Sison org ...
'', the ''
'', the ''International Anti-Imperialist United Front Against Fascism, War and Environmental Destruction'', the ''No to War – No to NATO'', and the ''Resist US-Led War Movement''.
International Solidarity Day with the Cypriot People
In 2024, marking 50 years since the Turkish occupation of Cyprus, the Union of Cypriots called for global action on October 10 for support of the Cypriot people and established this date to be observed annually as International Solidarity Day with the Cypriot People. This call was supported by international organizations, including the ''International League of Peoples' Struggle'' and the ''International Coordination of Revolutionary Parties and Organizations''.
October 10 was chosen by the Union of Cypriots as the date of the declaration adopted at the
2nd Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Cairo in 1964, which, in response to Turkey’s initial actions against the Republic of Cyprus, called on states to respect "the sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity of Cyprus" and to refrain "from any efforts to impose upon Cyprus unjust solutions unacceptable to the people of Cyprus."
Honorary Awards
The Union of Cypriots presents Honorary Awards in memory of Dr. İhsan Ali, a Cypriot community leader and a statesman.
References
External links
{{Cyprus dispute
Cypriot nationalism
Political organisations based in Cyprus
Organisations based in Northern Cyprus
Cyprus dispute
Anti-imperialist organizations
National liberation movements
International League of Peoples' Struggle
International Coordination of Revolutionary Parties and Organizations