The Middle Eastern Relations of Cyprus and Malta: From Independence to Nonalignment to the European Union

Great Britain operated the Akrotiri and Dhekelia sovereign bases, which were guaranteed as part of Cyprus's independence agreement also signed by Turkey and Greece, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In the case of Malta, which gained its independence from Great Britain on 21 September 1964, the British military base at Pembroke was closed in March 1979. Given its history of ethnic conflict during the second half of the twentieth century, Cyprus's situation is even more complex. It should be noted that since July 1974, due to a military invasion by Turkey in reaction to a Greek-backed coup designed to bring about enosis (unification with Greece), Cyprus has been divided into Turkish and Greek zones in the northern and southern parts of the island, respectively.