Cyprus

Turkey and Greece have been at loggerheads over territorial boundaries in the sea for decades.

Much of the tension over the Mediterranean can be traced back to their dispute over Cyprus, which was invaded by Turkey in 1974 in response to an Athens-engineered coup, which sought to unite the island with Greece.

The Greek speaking south is the Republic of Cyprus that became a member of the European Union in 2004.

The internationally-unrecognised Turkish statelet in the north is split from the south by walls, barbed wire and sandbags.

The “Green Line” is patrolled by UNFICYP, one of the United Nations’ oldest peacekeeping forces.

Turkey says it is ready to negotiate with any country, including Greece, except for the Republic of Cyprus, which it does not recognise.

(Photograph:Reuters)