When President Erdoğan talks today about the division of Cyprus, many may see it as a new Turkish stance. In truth, the idea of partitioning the island has been a strategic goal of Turkey since at least 1956, as revealed in Nihat Erim’s confidential report.
Who Was Nihat Erim?
Nihat Erim (1912–1980) was a constitutional law professor at Ankara University and a member of Turkey’s Republican Party. In 1956, Prime Minister Adnan Menderes tasked him with preparing a report on the legal aspects of the Cyprus question. Erim submitted the first version in November and a supplementary version in December of that year.
He later became a key figure in Cyprus negotiations and even served as Turkey’s prime minister after the 1971 coup. He was assassinated in July 1980 by the armed group Dev Sol.
Directives from Ankara
Erim’s work followed explicit instructions from the prime minister. Menderes’s strategy was clear:
- The British should remain in Cyprus.
- If they leave, the island should be handed to Turkey.
- If that fails, Cyprus should be partitioned.
- Implement “self-governance.”
- The one scenario to avoid at all costs: transferring the island to Greece.
Thus, partition was not Erim’s personal idea but a government strategy, designed to align with both Turkish goals and the broader geopolitical context of the time.
Partition as Legal Strategy
Erim attempted to justify partition through the principle of self-determination, though in a highly distorted form. He described Cyprus as composed of two main communities: roughly 481,000 Greek-speaking Orthodox Christians and 100,000 Turkish Muslims, with around 10,000 others.
Partition, according to Erim, would allow each community to freely exercise its “right of self-determination,” joining the state it considered its “motherland.” This interpretation meant that no minority would be forced under a state it did not identify with, while also safeguarding Turkey’s interests.
In practical terms, this idea implied that minorities in any country could theoretically claim secession — a principle with potentially explosive consequences in the Balkans, the Near East, and beyond.
Cynical View of Population Exchanges
Erim acknowledged that partition would require population transfers to create ethnically homogenous zones. He suggested moving communities “on a small scale” over short distances, emphasizing that the process would maintain familiar environments and climates. He framed the transfers as necessary to protect Turkish Cypriots and Turkey’s security, describing them as convenient rather than traumatic.
The Real Motive
The principle of self-determination, Erim admitted, was largely a pretext. The real goal was strategic: to place Cyprus under firm Turkish military control. He argued that surrendering the island to Greece — even under the guise of self-determination — would threaten Turkey’s security and ignore the island’s proximity and importance to the Turkish homeland.
Risky Historical Comparisons
Erim even drew parallels with Austria, arguing that postwar restrictions on Austrian unification with Germany could justify partitioning Cyprus. These comparisons were tenuous, highlighting the extreme lengths used to rationalize the plan.
Partition Realized by Force in 1974
Erim’s plan became reality in 1974 with the Turkish invasion following a Greek-backed coup. Turkey occupied approximately 38% of the island, creating a de facto partition. Though not legally sanctioned, this military division mirrored Erim’s earlier proposals.
The human cost was enormous. Many Cypriots lost homes, property, and childhoods. One man from Kyrenia described returning years later to find his home occupied. He could only cry, then rang the church bell, wondering: “Will I ever return freely?”
Why Erim’s Plan Matters Today
Erim’s 1956 report laid the intellectual and strategic foundation for Turkey’s Cyprus policy. The ideas it contained — partition justified through a manipulated principle of self-determination, population exchanges, and prioritization of Turkish security — continue to influence the island’s unresolved division.
*Spyros Vlachopoulos is a Law Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
