Turkish Foreign Policy and Security in Cyprus: Greek-Cypriot Security Perception

The report analyzes how Turkey's domestic transformation and regional foreign policy influence the security perceptions of Greek-Cypriots. It distinguishes between official perceptions, which prioritize military and state security, and non-official perceptions, which place greater emphasis on political and economic stability. The author argues that while Turkey is viewed as a primary existential threat, addressing broader human security concerns could provide a path for inter-communal collaboration in Cyprus.

• Turkey's domestic political trajectory has shifted from a modernist-reformist approach under the early AKP toward a more centralized and authoritarian system, officially establishing a presidential system in June 2018.
• Turkish foreign policy is characterized by revisionist geopolitical aspirations, including a desire to diminish the meaning of borders established by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and a goal to play a hegemonic role in the Middle East.
• Turkey utilizes its military presence in northern Cyprus as a 'forward-basing' strategy to maintain an offensive superiority and deterrent against Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean.
• Natural gas discoveries in the 2000s and 2010s have increased the strategic importance of Cyprus for Turkey's energy goals, specifically its aim to become a transit state and energy hub.
• Greek-Cypriot officials maintain a traditional security perception, prioritizing the state as the primary referent object and viewing Turkey's military presence as an existential threat.
• Non-official Greek-Cypriot actors, including businesses and civil society, prioritize political and economic security sectors over military security, although they still identify Turkey as a central threat.
• There is a divergence in proposed strategies to manage the Turkish threat: political leaders favor negotiation and the EU framework, while military officials prefer security alliances and potential NATO accession.
• Greek-Cypriot security perceptions are exacerbated by four main factors: the ongoing Turkish occupation, Turkey's increasing control over northern Cyprus, Turkey's revisionist regional policy, and Turkey's domestic shift toward authoritarianism.

APA

Tziarras, Z. (2018). Turkish Foreign Policy and Security in Cyprus: Greek-Cypriot Security Perception. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/261f7a66-c470-48fd-acf2-ef2f5c4194b4/Tziarras - Turkish Foreign Policy and Security in Cyprus PRIO Cyprus Centre Report 6-2018.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Tziarras, Zenonas. Turkish Foreign Policy and Security in Cyprus: Greek-Cypriot Security Perception. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2018. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/261f7a66-c470-48fd-acf2-ef2f5c4194b4/Tziarras - Turkish Foreign Policy and Security in Cyprus PRIO Cyprus Centre Report 6-2018.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tziarras |first1=Zenonas |title=Turkish Foreign Policy and Security in Cyprus: Greek-Cypriot Security Perception |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=June 2018 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/261f7a66-c470-48fd-acf2-ef2f5c4194b4/Tziarras - Turkish Foreign Policy and Security in Cyprus PRIO Cyprus Centre Report 6-2018.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tziarras2018turkish, author = {Tziarras, Zenonas}, title = {{Turkish Foreign Policy and Security in Cyprus: Greek-Cypriot Security Perception}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2018}, month = jun, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/261f7a66-c470-48fd-acf2-ef2f5c4194b4/Tziarras - Turkish Foreign Policy and Security in Cyprus PRIO Cyprus Centre Report 6-2018.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }