The Cyprus Convention ( English Cyprus Convention , tour. Kıbrıs Sözleşmesi, Kıbrıs Antlaşması, Kıbrıs Konvansiyonu ) is a secret Anglo - Turkish treaty on a "defensive alliance", which was directed against the interests of the Russian Empire in the Near-Asian region .
The treaty was signed on June 4, 1878 in Istanbul , on the eve of the opening of the Berlin Congress of 1878 .
Great Britain pledged to help the Ottoman Empire "by force of arms" since the Russian Empire, having won the next Russian-Turkish war , was able to annex Batum , Ardagan and Kars , was aimed at acquiring new territories in the east of Asia Minor , populated mainly by Armenians, Kurds and Georgians. In exchange, the Ottoman Empire agreed to make the island of Cyprus a British protectorate .
In accordance with the agreement, the British received the right to occupy and control the island subject to an annual payment of £ 99,799 to the treasury [1] . Formally, Cyprus continued to remain part of the Ottoman Empire, which helped reassure representatives of a rather large Muslim community (21%), but in fact the real power passed into the hands of the British High Commissioner , which at first was glad for the representatives of the Greek Orthodox majority, since the British were aimed at holding a number economic reforms and improved transport infrastructure. The British commissioner was located in Limassol , which became the center of the English administration, where rather large funds were invested by local standards.
However, the appropriateness of signing the convention caused serious debate in the British Parliament itself. Thus, Prime Minister Disraeli sent a letter to Queen Victoria , in which he pointed out the importance of Cyprus for the protection of the Indian part of the empire. On the other hand, liberals expressed doubt about the advisability of establishing a protectorate. The arguments cited the lack of a convenient harbor on the island. In addition, the feasibility of using Cyprus as a military base has become quite controversial and financially difficult, especially after the emergence of British bases in Egypt , which needed financial injections [2] .
The Convention was canceled by the British on November 5, 1914 in connection with the entry of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) into the First World War on the side of Germany , after which Cyprus was officially annexed by Britain as a colony.