The Akritas plan was created in 1963 by the
Greek Cypriot part of the
government in
Cyprus with the ultimate aim of weakening the
Turkish Cypriot wing of the Cypriot government and then uniting Cyprus with Greece.
[1] The desired union of Cyprus with Greece was referred to as
Enosis.
Background to the plan
Up until 1960, Cyprus was a
British colony. In 1955, a Greek Cypriot armed group calling itself
EOKA began a violent campaign to expel the British forces from the island. The Turkish Cypriots at this time were greatly concerned and appealed to the British to keep control of the island
[2]. But in 1960, the British gave in and turned power over to the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. A power sharing constitution was created for the new Republic of Cyprus which included both Turkish and Greek Cypriots holding power in Government. Three Treaties were written up to guarantee the integrity and security of the new republic: The Treaty of Establishment, the Treaty of Guarantee, and the Treaty of Alliance. According to constitution, Cyprus was to become an independent republic with a Greek Cypriot president and a Turkish Cypriot vice-president with full power sharing between Turkish and Greek Cypriots.
Formation of the Akritas Plan
Formation of the Akritas Plan
Leaders of the Greek Cypriots had expressed their disapproval with the constitution and of their failure to achieve Enosis (union with Greece). A plan of action was required to firstly destabilize the republic, to revoke the treaties and to achieve Enosis. This plan was The Akritas plan.
The Akritas plan was drawn by the minister of the interior who was a close associate of the Greek Cypriot leader
Archbishop Makarios. The plan’s course of action was to firstly persuade the world community that too many rights had been to the Turkish Cypriots and the constitution had to be re-written if the government was to be workable. The big players such as Britain and the USA had to be convinced that the Turkish Cypriots need have nothing to fear from Greek Cypriot political dominance of the island. The next step of the plan was to cancel international treaties that existed to safeguard the republic. If a way could be found to legally dissolve the treaties, then Union with Greece would be possible. The Treaties and Guarantees had been put into place by Britain, Greece and Turkey, they existed to safeguard the Rebublic and to protect the rights of the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The plan stated that if the Turkish Cypriots objected the changes and "attempted to block them by force," then they should be ‘’violently subjugated before foreign powers could intervene’’.
[3]
In November 1963, the Greek Cypriot leader Makarios made a 13 point proposal to make the constitution more workable, these were rejected by the Turkish Cypriot Leadership on December the 16, 1963, which said that the proposed amendments would undermine the constition and weaken the Turkish Cypriot wing of the government. By the end of December, violence had erupte on the island. Many Turkish Cypriots fled their homes and lands and moved into
enclaves to protect themselves from Greek hostilities.
