Cyprus Passport

[Country Name] The Republic of Cyprus.

[Area] 9251 square kilometers, including 3355 square kilometers of Türkiye in northern Serbia.

[Population] The actual controlled area of Cyprus has a population of 928000 (as of 2023). The population of Cyprus is about 1.25 million, of which the Greek nationality accounts for 58.7%, and the Türkiye nationality and foreigners account for 40%. The main languages are Greek and Turkish, and English is widely used. The Greek people believe in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Türkiye people believe in Islam.

【 Capital 】 Nicosia, with a population of 265000 (2022). The average annual maximum temperature is 31 ℃ -37 ℃, and the minimum temperature is 5 ℃ -15 ℃.

Nicos Christodoulides, the head of state, was elected in February 2023 and officially sworn in on March 1st for a term of 5 years.

National Day: October 1st.

【 Overview 】 Located in the northeast of the Mediterranean Sea, it is the third largest island in the Mediterranean. The total length of the coastline is 782 kilometers. It belongs to the subtropical Mediterranean climate, with dry and hot summers and warm and humid winters. The average temperature in summer is 28 ℃ -35 ℃, and in winter it is 4 ℃ -10 ℃.

In 1500 BC, Greeks migrated to the island of Cyprus. Later, it was conquered by countries such as Egypt and Persia. Joined the Roman Empire in 58 BC. In 395 AD, it belonged to the Byzantine Empire. It was ruled by the Ottoman Empire in 1571. It was ceded to Britain in 1878 and became a British "Crown Colony" in 1925. On February 19, 1959, the "Zurich London Agreement" was signed with Britain, Greece and Türkiye. On August 16, 1960, independence was declared and the Republic of Cyprus was established. Joined the Commonwealth in 1961. After independence, Greek and Türkiye ethnic groups in Cyprus clashed for many times. After 1974, the Turkish people moved northward, and in 1975 and 1983, they announced the establishment of the "Turkish State of Cyprus" and the "Türkiye Republic of Northern Cyprus", forming a north-south divide with the Greek people. At present, the "Republic of Türkiye in Northern Cyprus" is only recognized by Türkiye.

[Politics] Presidential Republic System. The President is the head of state and government, serving a term of 5 years and can be re elected once. The legislative power belongs to the parliament, while the judicial power is exercised by the courts.

The current Constitution was promulgated on August 16, 1960. The constitution stipulates that Serbia is a republic, with a Greek president and a Turkish vice president. The executive power belongs to the president and vice president, both of whom have the final veto power over major administrative decisions. Due to the dispute between the two ethnic groups, the constitution has not been implemented.

The parliament adopts a unicameral system, with elections held every five years. At the beginning of independence, the parliament had a total of 50 seats, including 35 Greek seats and 15 Turkish seats. After the outbreak of the inter ethnic conflict in 1964, Turkish parliamentarians withdrew from parliament. The constitutional amendment was passed in 1985. The number of seats has increased to 80, with 56 Greek seats and 24 Turkish seats. For a long time, the Tu ethnic group has established a separate parliament with a total of 50 seats, which are elected by various political parties of the Tu ethnic group. The current parliament was elected in May 2021 as the 14th parliament of Serbia, with Annita Demetriou from the Democratic Congress Party as the speaker. The distribution of 56 seats in the parliament is as follows:

The Democratic Congress Party (right-wing) has 17 seats, the Workers' Progressive Party (left-wing) has 15 seats, the Democratic Party (center right) has 9 seats, the Democratic Front Party has 4 seats, the Social Democratic Movement Party has 3 seats, the National Front Party has 3 seats, the Green Party has 2 seats, and independent legislators have 3 seats.

The government implements a presidential cabinet system. The president is the head of state and government. The main members of the current government are: Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, Finance Minister Makis Keravnos, Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou, Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas, Education, Sports and Youth Minister Athina Michailidou, Transport, Communications and Engineering Minister Alexis Vafiadis, Energy, Commerce and Industry Minister George Papanastasiou, Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Minister Maria Panayotu. Maria Panagiotou, Minister of Labor and Social Insurance, Yiannis Panagiotou, Minister of Justice and Public Order Marios Hartsiotis, and Minister of Health Michalis Damianos.

The country is divided into six administrative regions: Nicosia, Limassol, Amokhostos, Larnaca, Paphos, and Kyrenia. Most of Kerinia and Amochostos, as well as a portion of Nicosia, are controlled by the Turkish people.

The judicial system is divided into the first instance court and the Supreme Court (often referred to as the second instance court). The first instance institutions include local courts, circuit courts, family courts, rent control courts, industrial dispute courts, military courts, etc. The Supreme Judicial Council is composed of the Attorney General of the Republic, the President of the Supreme Court, and judges. The President of the Supreme Court, Katerina Stamatiou. Attorney General Giorgos Savvidis.

The main political parties are:

(1) Democratic Rally: The largest party in parliament, established on July 4, 1976. There are about 10000 party members, mostly bankers, business entrepreneurs, lawyers, doctors, and senior staff. Chairperson Annita Demetriou.

(2) The Working People's Progressive Party: The second largest party in parliament, established in August 1926, formerly known as the Communist Party of Cyprus. In 1941, it was reorganized and renamed to its current name. There are about 14000 party members. General Secretary Stefanos Stefanou.

(3) Democratic Party: The third largest party in parliament, established on July 11, 1976. There are about 8000 party members, mostly small and medium-sized enterprise owners, employees, freelancers, and wealthy farmers. Chairman Nicholas Papadopoulos.

(4) Social Democratic Movement: Established in February 1969. There are about 3000 party members. The party participated in politics in 1998 and withdrew from the government in 1999 due to President Clerides' decision not to deploy Russian made surface to air missiles in southern Serbia. After merging with the Movement for the Regrouping of the Centre, it changed its name but quickly split. Chairman Marinos Sizopoulos.

The main political party of the Tu ethnic group: (1) National Unity Party: established in 1975, with Faiz Sucuoglu as its chairman. (2) Republican Turkish Party: Established in 1970, with Chairman Tufan Erh ü rman. (3) Democratic Party: Established in 1992, with Chairman Fikri Atao ğ lu. (4) Communal Democracy Party: Established in 2007, chaired by Mine Atl ı.

[Important Person] Nicos Hristozulides: President. Born on December 6, 1973 in Paphos, Cyprus, he attended Queen's College, City University of New York for his undergraduate studies. He later obtained a Master's degree in Political Science from New York University and a Master's degree in Diplomacy from the University of Malta. In 2003, he obtained a PhD in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Athens. In his early years, he served as a university professor and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1999. He has held various positions including Consul General in London, Deputy Director of the Embassy in Greece, and Counsellor of the Permanent Mission to the European Union. In 2013, he was appointed as the Director of the Presidential Foreign Affairs Office. Since 2014, he has also served as the spokesperson for the Cypriot government. In 2018, he was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus. Elected as the 13th President of Serbia since independence on February 12, 2023, and officially sworn in on March 1.

In the 1960s, agriculture was the pillar of the national economy. Since the mid-1970s when Serbia split, there have been significant changes in the economic structure. From the 1970s to the mid-1980s, economic development mainly relied on the manufacturing industry. Afterwards, service industries such as shipping, tourism, and finance replaced manufacturing as the main drivers of economic growth. After becoming a candidate for EU membership in 1998, adjustments were made to economic policies and structures in accordance with the requirements of accession. On May 1, 2004, it officially joined the European Union. On January 1, 2008, it successfully joined the eurozone, and since then, the economy has further integrated into Europe. In June 2012, due to the impact of Greece's debt reduction, it fell into a financial crisis and applied for assistance from the European Union. On March 25, 2013, Serbia reached a principle agreement with the "Troika" for a € 10 billion bailout. In March 2016, Sai successfully withdrew from the "Three Horsemen" rescue plan. Received 1.4 billion euros in free aid and loans from the EU Recovery Fund. The main economic data for Serbia in 2023 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 29.76 billion euros

Year on year growth of Gross Domestic Product: 2.5%

Fiscal deficit: 3.61 billion euros, fiscal deficit rate 12.1%

Public debt: 22.4 billion euros

Unemployment rate: 6.7%

Currency name: Euro

The census conducted by the Turkish authorities shows that the actual population of the Turkish community is about 382000 people. The economy of the Tu ethnic group is small, mainly based on agriculture and tourism, with a per capita income of over 10000 US dollars.

【 Resources 】 Copper is the main mineral deposit, while others include iron sulfide, salt, asbestos, gypsum, marble, wood, and inorganic pigments. In recent years, the mining output of mineral resources has declined year by year. The forest area is 1735 square kilometers. Water resources are scarce, and 6 large dams have been built with a total storage capacity of 190 million cubic meters.

Due to the small domestic market, most of the industrial products and processed agricultural products are exported. Most industrial enterprises are private enterprises with small scale and employ less than 30 workers. The main industrial sectors include food, textile, leather, wood, metal, machinery, transportation, electricity, optics, chemical industry, etc. In 2023, the industrial gross domestic product will increase by 2.4% year-on-year.

Agricultural trade still holds a pivotal position in foreign trade. The three most exported agricultural products are lemon, potatoes, and cheese.

The service industry is relatively developed in areas such as finance, insurance, services, and tourism. The tourism industry is the main source of foreign exchange income for a country and a pillar industry driving economic growth. The main tourist cities include Paphos, Limassol, Larnaca, etc. In 2023, the tourism industry continued to grow, accommodating 3.845 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 20.1%, and generating tourism revenue of 2.99 billion euros, a year-on-year increase of 22.6%.

There are 17000 kilometers of highways, of which more than half are paved roads. The road mileage in the northern Tu ethnic region accounts for 35%. In 2023, there will be 45494 registered motor vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 34.6%, including 36608 registered cars, a year-on-year increase of 37.6%. The main ports are Masor (with an annual throughput of 600000 TEUs), Larnaca (with an annual throughput of 250000 TEUs), and Amokhostos (the main port before the split of the island, now only used by the Turkish people). The maritime industry is developed, and the registered ships in Serbia rank eleventh in the world. In 2021, the total tonnage of registered ships in Serbia exceeded 25 million tons. The annual economic contribution of the maritime industry exceeds 1 billion euros, and its revenue accounts for approximately 7% of the gross domestic product.

In 2023, the total import value was 12.95 billion euros, a year-on-year increase of 12.9%, and the export value was 4.69 billion euros, a year-on-year increase of 11.3%. The main export commodities are medical supplies, machinery, citrus, clothing, cheese, alcohol, and some light industrial and agricultural products. Mainly importing mineral products, machinery, transportation equipment, base metals and their products, chemical industry and related industrial products, etc.

The armed forces are the National Guard, established in 1964 and divided into the army, navy, and air force. The commander and some senior officers are held by Greek officers. Implement compulsory military service system, with a service period of 14 months and a total military strength of approximately 13000 people.

Greece has about 950 troops stationed in Serbia; Türkiye has about 40000 troops stationed in "Northern Cyprus"; Britain has two sovereign military bases in Serbia, with 3500 troops stationed there; The United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus consists of approximately 800 personnel.

The "Security Brigade" of the Tu ethnic group has 5000 personnel, organized into 7 infantry battalions and 1 armored company, in addition to 1853 armed police forces.

Primary and junior high schools implement compulsory education, and the education rate for the population aged 15 and above is 97%. In recent years, education funding has accounted for about 7% of the government budget, ranking second in the European Union. There are about 1270 educational institutions of various types, with approximately 180000 students enrolled, of which about 70% attend public schools. There are 30 higher vocational colleges of various types. There is a comprehensive university.

There are over 30 types of newspapers and magazines in the field of news publishing. The main Greek newspapers include: "Freedom Enthusiasts", founded in 1955 with a circulation of 20000 copies; Dawn Daily, founded in 1956 with a circulation of 14000 copies; There are also newspapers such as Citizen's Daily, Struggle Daily, Today's Daily, Free Press, Truth Daily, and News Daily. The main newspapers and magazines of the Tu ethnic group include "Grey Wolf Daily", founded in 1951 with a circulation of 5000 copies. The Cyprus News Agency was established in April 1976 as the official news agency. In February 1997, a cooperation agreement was signed with Xinhua News Agency to begin news exchange and cooperation.

There are a total of 10 radio stations covering the entire island. The Cyprus Radio Station was established in 1952 and broadcasts in Turkish, English, French, Arabic, and Armenian languages in addition to Greek. Tu ethnic radio station was established in 1963. There are also 38 local radio stations.

There are a total of 7 television stations covering the entire island, including 2 national television stations, 3 private television stations, and 2 satellite television stations. The national television station was established in 1957. Tu ethnic television station was established in 1976. There are also 6 local television stations.

Actively promoting all-round diplomacy, emphasizing the maintenance of national independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and developing friendly relations with countries around the world. Advocating the use of peaceful means to resolve regional and international disputes, treating all countries equally regardless of their size, and paying attention to the security of small countries. It is believed that the Cyprus issue remains the biggest challenge that concerns the survival of the nation and requires collective efforts to resolve. After joining the European Union in May 2004, I pursued comprehensive and equal participation in EU affairs, and played a greater role in international affairs based on the EU; Advocate deepening relations with neighboring countries, promoting further development of relations with the Arab world, and enhancing bilateral relations with major powers. Established diplomatic relations with 178 countries around the world. Because of the Cyprus issue, they have long been hostile to Türkiye and have no diplomatic relations.