Cyprus dispute Kingdom of Cyprus. In February 1489 it was seized by the Republic of Venice. Between September 1570 and August 1571 it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, starting three centuries of Turkish rule over Cyprus. Starting in the early nineteenth century, ethnic Greeks of the island sought to bring about an end to almost 300 years of Ottoman rule and unite Cyprus with Greece. The United Kingdom took administrative control of the island in 1878, to prevent Ottoman possessions from falling under Russian control following the Cyprus Convention, which led to the call for union with Greece ("enosis") to grow
Cyprus–Malta relations Cyprus–Malta relations Cypriot–Maltese relations are foreign relations between Cyprus and Malta. The two countries share membership of the European Union and Commonwealth of Nations. Cyprus is represented to Malta through its accredited embassy in Rome (Italy). Malta is represented to Cyprus through its accredited embassy in Athens (Greece). The political relations are close due to similarities between the 2 countries (on historical, economical and regional). They are the two island countries of the Mediterranean Sea. By May 2004, the two island countries entered the European Union. The Knights of St John had a long history on Cyprus before retreating to