Kokkina, Cyprus

Map of NW Cyprus showing the Erenköy Exclave

Erenköy (name in Turkish, the Greek name is Kokkina) is an exclave of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. It is hemmed in on three sides by Republic of Cyprus territory with the Mediterranean sea (Morphou Bay) on its northern flank. The exclave sits several miles away from what constitutes the main area of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (35° 10′ 38″ N 32° 36′ 29″ E). This tiny exclave - which is part of the lower reaches of the Troodos mountains, is a place which has special symbolic significance for Turkish Cypriots because of the events of August 1964.

History

The Tylliria/Dillirga region, where Erenköy/Kokkina is situated, had been a place of intense confrontation between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities during the inter-communal struggle of 1963-1964. On the fourth of April, 1964 armed groups originating from both communities had fought over a strategic location overlooking the region's only highway. There had also been several sporadic incidents of gunfire between villages of the region. On the eighth of April, 1964, the United Nations Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) managed to arrange a ceasefire, which was enforced by the occupation of several critical areas by UNFICYP troops.

The Greek Cypriot government perceived Erenköy/Kokkina as a point of insertion for Turkish paramilitaries and weaponry in Cyprus. While it has been revealed that a number (approximately 500) of Turkish Cypriot volunteers who had been trained and armed in Turkey had indeed landed in Erenköy/Kokkina, the scale and purpose of this operation had not been clarified.

On the sixth of August,1964, elements of the Greek Cypriot National Guard and Greek Army units Led by Greek General George Grivas attacked the area around Erenköy/Kokkina and surrounded the village, forcing the defenders - which included elements of the Turkish Cypriot "Fighters" organisation; a number of the volunteers mentioned above - and the civilian population of Erenköy/Kokkina, to retreat to a narrow beachhead. A heavy artillery barrage (with naval support) of the beachhead followed, causing a number of casualties among the defenders and heavy damage to the village.The defenders, while completely outpowered and lacking supplies, managed to hold their positions until the eighth of August, when the intervention of Turkish jet fighters and the threat of a Turkish invasion of Cyprus ,as well as a resolution of the United Nations Security Council calling for a ceasefire, ended the standoff. A ceasefire was declared on the ninth of August, 1964, and UNFICYP forces were once again deployed to the area.

Turkey claimed that the aerial attack and threat of invasion were justified by her right to protect the Turkish Cypriot population under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee.

The village was heavily damaged by the artillery barrage.The UN forces - upon reentering the village - declared it a disaster area and brought in much-needed supplies for the civilians.

Significance

Since December 1963, Turkish Cypriots had been displaced, many times violently, from 103 of their villages island-wide into just 35 enclaves.This happened during the period of Intercommunal Struggle (see Cyprus dispute).This was perceived by them as an organized plan for the marginalization of Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus enforced by the Greek Cypriot administration, while some parties in Greek Cypriot society saw it as a Turkish Cypriot attempt to consolidate power over some regions with a dense Turkish population. Turkish Cypriot villages before 1963 covered roughly a third of the island's surface. But by late 1964, most of the island's TC population lived in these enclaves, which covered roughly 3% of the surface, in substandard living conditions. Erenköy/Kokkina was one of the last port areas under TC control and a vital supply link with Turkey for Turkish Cypriot fighters, as well as food and medicines for the TC civilians.

In the eyes of the government of Cyprus, Erenköy/Kokkina was a threat to the nation's security posed by dangerous Turkish paramilitaries, while Turkish Cypriots saw it as a critical asset in a desperate struggle for survival.

When the Turkish military staged their military intervention (Turkey and the TC administration called it a Peace Operation, GC considers it an invasion) in 1974, Erenköy was a specific objective, given it's symbolic significance to the Turkish Cypriots. The exclave became part of the Turkish Federatve State of North Cyprus in 1975, then the TRNC when it declared UDI in November 1983.

Today

Today - within the exclave at the village cemetary - there are 13 carefully tended graves of Turkish Cypriots who were killed at the siege at Erenköy/Kokkina. The village itself still carries heavy battle damage. On Greek Cypriot maps, the town is simply referred to by its Greek name (Kokkina).