Turkish Cypriot nationalism developed mainly in response toGreek nationalism and the desire forenosis, union of the whole island with Greece.[2][3][4] Initially, Turkish Cypriots favoured the continuation of British rule.[5] However, they were alarmed by the Greek Cypriot calls forenosis, as they saw that the union ofCrete with Greece had led to the exodus ofCretan Turks, which was a precedent to be avoided,[6][7] and they took a pro-partition stance in response to the militant activity ofEOKA.[8] Turkish Cypriots also viewed themselves as a distinct ethnic group of the island and believed in their having a separate right toself-determination from Greek Cypriots.[9] Meanwhile, in the 1950s, Turkish leaderAdnan Menderes considered Cyprus an "extension of Anatolia", rejected the partition of Cyprus along ethnic lines and supported the annexation of the whole island to Turkey. Nationalistic slogans centred on the idea that "Cyprus is Turkish", and the ruling party declared Cyprus to be part of the Turkish homeland and vital for its security. Upon realising that Turkish Cypriots were only 20% of the islanders and so annexation was unfeasible, the national policy was changed to favour partition. The slogan "Partition or Death" was frequently used in Turkish Cypriot and Turkish protests in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. Although after the Zurich and London Conferences, Turkey seemed both to accept the existence of the Cypriot state and to distance itself from its policy of favouring the partition of the island, the goal of Turkish and Turkish Cypriot leaders remained that of creating an independent Turkish state in the northern part of the island.[10][11] In the 21st century, the Turkish presidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed support for a two-state solution.[12]
^Mirbagheri, Farid (2009).Historical Dictionary of Cyprus. Scarecrow Press. p. xiv.ISBN9780810862982.Greek Cypriots engaged in a military campaign for enosis, union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots, in response, expressed their desire for taksim, partition of the island.
^Behlul (Behlul) Ozkan (Ozkan) (26 June 2012).From the Abode of Islam to the Turkish Vatan: The Making of a National Homeland in Turkey. Yale University Press. p. 199.ISBN978-0-300-18351-1.In line with the nationalist rhetoric that "Cyprus is Turkish", Menderes predicated his declaration upon the geographic proximity between Cyprus and Anatolia, thereby defining "Cyprus as an extension of Anatolia". It was striking that Menderes rejected partitioning the island into two ethnic states, a position that would define Turkey's foreign policy regarding Cyprus after 1957
^G. Bellingeri; T. Kappler (2005).Cipro oggi. Casa editrice il Ponte. p. 27.ISBN978-88-89465-07-3.The educational and political mobilisation between 1948-1958, aiming at raising Turkish national consciousness, resulted in the involving Turkey as motherland in the Cyprus Question. From then on, Turkey, would work hand in hand with the Turkish Cypriot leadership and the British government to oppose the Greek Cypriot demand for Enosis and realise the partition of Cyprus, which meanwhile became the national policy.
