The Cyprus policy in the perspective of İhsan Sabri Çaglayangil's foreign policy between 1965-1971

Due to its favorable climate and geographical location, Cyprus has a history that goes back to 10.000 BC and has continued to increase its strategic value in the following years. In the historical process, states that want to consolidate their dominance in this region and ensure security of the trade routes have always wanted to keep Cyprus under control due to its strategic location. On the one hand, Cyprus is a region for which states struggle for sovereignty, on the other hand, it has been an important research area for researchers. In these studies, the Cyprus issue has been discussed from many different perspectives, especially political, social, economic, geographical and cultural issues. In this study, answers to the following questions were sought; What are the effects of the Cyprus issue on Turkish foreign policy? What are the effects of Foreign Minister İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil's foreign policy understanding on Cyprus policy? How did the developments in 1965-1971 affect the future of Cyprus? The historical background of the study has been started since the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in order to analyze the developments in Cyprus in the years 1965-1971 correctly and to make consistent comparisons between periods. In the study, the developments that took place after the Ottoman administration of Cyprus were examined in chronological order and brought up to 1971. One of the most important conclusions drawn from the study is the effects of the balance policy implemented by the Justice Party and Çağlayangil on the Cyprus issue. Using the political ground provided by the détente period, the Demirel Government followed a more flexible stance in its Cyprus policy and developed a policy parallel to the developments in Cyprus thanks to this flexible policy it followed. After the 1967 events, the preparations for the elimination of the deficiencies in the Turkish army and the declaration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus can be considered as reflections of the Demirel Government's policy. As a result, in this study, it is aimed to contribute to the literature by revealing the results of the developments in Cyprus in the years 1965-1971, which represents a turning point in the establishment process of the TRNC, while the effect of the Cyprus issue on Turkish foreign policy since the Ottoman period is evaluated as a whole.