ABSTRACT
Cyprus is not essential to the Soviet Mediterranean Fleet. The various anchorages used by the Soviet Navy coincide with several normal patrols and stations and are ideally located for surveillance of Mediterranean maritime activity. Ethnic conflicts between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities continued, leading to the introduction of a United Nations Peacekeeping Force. In 1967 the Turkish Cypriote formed a virtual state within a state and withdrew from the Makarios government. On 15 July 1974, the Greek Cypriot National Guard, led by Greek officers, launched a successful coup against the Makarios government and installed Nikos Sampson, a right-wing extremist. Cyprus dominates the approaches to the southern coast of Turkey, the Levant and the Suez Canal, making it an important logistical base for supporting naval operations in the Mediterranean.
