[ICSS 20250727] Why Cyprus Matters / Aziz Şah

Cyprus is located at the intersection of three continents, east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of Asia and north of Africa. It has been colonised by various occupiers throughout history and was described by imperialists as an ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’.

Cyprus’ modern history spans the past 200 years, from Ottoman rule to British domination and Turkish occupation. Following the decolonisation process after World War II, Cyprus joined the anti-colonial struggle and became a republic in 1960. From 1958 onwards, various paramilitary terrorist organisations emerged, orchestrated by NATO’s Gladio. This paramilitary terrorism laid the groundwork for Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Since 1974, Turkey’s settler colonialism has ushered in a new era in Cyprus’s history.

In my speech, Aziz Şah will try to focus on the last two centuries of Cyprus and the last half-century within that period. He will evaluate the role of US imperialism, Britain, Europe and the UN before and after Turkey’s invasion, as well as the place of Cyprus within the framework of Israel’s regional policies today and its importance in terms of the struggles of the peoples of West Asia and North Africa.

Aziz Şah was born in 1987 in the part of Cyprus that has occupied by Turkey and studied sociology in Germany. He writes for “Avrupa”- “Afrika” newspapers that publish in Turkish in the occupied part of Cyprus, which have been attacked with guns and bombs many times and stoned by settlers. He is part of the Union of Cypriots (https://www.cypriots.org/) and the Pancyprian Freedom Movement (https://www.freecyprus.net/) , which are fighting for the liberation of Cyprus.