History of Cyprus since 1878 1948, King Paul of Greece declared that Cyprus desired union with Greece. In 1950 the Orthodox Church of Cyprus presented a referendum according to which around 97% of the Greek Cypriot population wanted the union. The United Nations accepted the Greek petition and "enosis" became an international issue. In 1952 both Greece and Turkey became members of NATO. After the war, a delegation from Cyprus submitted a demand for enosis to London. The demand was rejected but the British proposed a more liberal constitution and a 10-year programme of social and economic development. Led by Archbishop Makarios, the Greek Cypriot
Military exercises of the Republic of Cyprus published. Military exercises of the Republic of Cyprus Cyprus is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean. A former British colony, it gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960 and became a Commonwealth republic in 1961. The Republic of Cyprus is a developed country and has been a member of the European Union since 1 May 2004. The Republic of Cyprus is an internationally recognised sovereign country, a portion of which is under foreign military occupation by Turkey. The occupation, which began on 20 July 1974 and continues to the present day, has been in direct contradiction with a number