Overview
Information on the situation of refugees and immigrants in Cyprus.
After the war between the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots, the island remained divided into the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The international community considers the northern region part of the Republic of Cyprus, while Turkey supports the independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. With attempts at reunification still failing today, the buffer zone between the southern and northern provinces is still occupied by UN peacekeepers, where passage is possible only at certain checkpoints. The Republic of Cyprus has been part of the European Union since 2004. The country has been severely affected by the economic crisis and has been facing the highest unemployment rates since its foundation. Racism and nationalism must be seen in the context of the Cyprus conflict and the economic problems that are the bedrock of the far-right party movement’s uprising and the increase in violence against foreigners.