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Электронное приложение к журналу «
Международная жизнь
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Author : Sophoclis Sophocli
Diplomat, political analyst
The Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus was adopted
by the House of Representatives (parliament) and was en-
acted on Independence Day on August 16, 1960. This is
the first and the only constitution the Republic of Cyprus
ever had.
Summing up the experience of drafting and adopting the
Constitution, as well as of the emergence and formation
of the young Cypriot state, we can come up with the fol-
lowing few conclusions:
- The formation of national statehood in Cyprus has al-
ways been an extremely difficult and complicated process. Winning political independence set
the task of its constitutional formalization, which turned out to be a challenging task;
- Despite the fact that the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus was officially adopted by the
country's representative branch - the parliament - the people of Cyprus have been actually denied
the opportunity to participate in its drafting and adoption;
- The Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus is an integral document, recording in a systematic
way all major government institutions;
- A distinctive feature of the Constitution is the Cyprus former British rulers' special "concern"
about artificially stirring up hostility and animosity among Cypriots of different ethnic affilia-
tion;
- Reflecting the then existing historical context, the Constitution sets forth a unitary form of
government structure.
The problematic nature of the Constitution imposed by the British and its strict basic provisions
impeded the operation of government structures and incited ethnic discord among the Greek
and Turkish communities. It didn't take long before the Constitution revealed its fallacies.
It is noteworthy that either amending or revising the Constitution "granted" to the Republic of
Cyprus is the most challenging and complicated task, because its drafters "well provided" for
the emergence of problem situations.
CONTINUING THE POLICY of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation has been firmly
and consistently upholding the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Cypriot
state, especially during the years when its viability was put to trying ordeals.
Cooperation between Russia and Cyprus has always been based on the principles of friendship
and mutual benefit and remains unaffected by the current and temporary conditions. The ties
between the two countries and peoples are deeply rooted in their history and have been time-
tested.
The Cyprus Conflict: A Decades-Old European Problem Still
Pending Resolution