Kokkina exclave
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Categories: Cyprus | Geography of Cyprus | Towns in Cyprus | Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Kokkina (Greek: Κόκκινα, Turkish: Erenköy) is an exclave of the de facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. It was one of the Turkish Cypriot Enclaves prior to 1974. 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 de facto 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.
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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 4 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 8 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 Republic of Cyprus 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 have never been clarified.
On 6 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 8 August, when Turkey decided to intervene. A bombardment of the Tylliria/Dillirga by Turkish jet fighters (which allegedly caused a number of civilian casualties in Greek Cypriot villages of the region) along with the threat of a Turkish military escalation and a resolution of the United Nations Security Council calling for a ceasefire, ended the standoff. A ceasefire was declared on 9 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. UN forces - upon reentering the village - declared it a disaster area and brought in much-needed supplies for the civilians.
Significance
Since December 1963,many thousands of Turkish Cypriots were moved from 103 villages island-wide into enclaves. This happened during the period of Intercommunal Struggle (see Cyprus dispute). The government of Cyprus saw it as a Turkish Cypriot attempt to consolidate power over some regions with a dense Turkish population, while Turkish Cypriots regarded it as an organized plan to marginalize the Turkish Cypriot community. Turkish Cypriot villages and farms before 1963 had 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 island, 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, and cutting it off would have severed the Turkish Cypriots from resupply and reinforcement.
When the Turkish military staged their invasion of Cyprus in 1974, Erenköy was a specific objective, given it's symbolic significance to the Turkish Cypriots. The exclave became part of the Turkish Federative State of North Cyprus in 1975, then the TRNC when it declared UDI in November 1983. However, this declaration of independence was declared to be illegal by UN resolutions 541 and 540 and has yet to be recognised by any sovereign state except Turkey.
Today
Today - within the exclave at the village cemetery - 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. A museum memorializing the defenders and the Turkish military is also at the village. Erenköy is the site of annual memorial ceremonies attended by high-ranking dignitaries of both the TRNC and Turkish governments. On Greek Cypriot maps, the village is referred to by its official Greek name of Kokkina.