UN Security Council Resolution 186 (1964): What Does the Text Say, and Why Does Ankara Object?

Why It Matters

UN Security Council Resolution 186 of 4 March 1964 is the founding text of the UN presence in Cyprus. It also referred to 'the Government of Cyprus' without defining the term, at a time when the Turkish Cypriot leadership had been excluded from the state organs created in 1960. Ankara argues that this wording gave the Greek Cypriot administration the status of sole government and created a lasting asymmetry between the two communities. Greek Cypriot sources reject that reading and treat the resolution as confirmation of the Republic's continuity.

Background

The Republic of Cyprus was established in 1960 on the basis of the Zurich and London Agreements of 11 February 1959. It was designed as a bi-communal partnership, with Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots as co-founding communities. It was backed by the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, under which Türkiye, Greece and the United Kingdom are guarantor powers. The constitution gave the Greek Cypriot President and the Turkish Cypriot Vice President separate roles, including a Vice President's veto over certain decisions on foreign affairs, defence and security.

The partnership broke down in the winter of 1963–1964:

• 30 November 1963: President Makarios proposed thirteen constitutional amendments, including limits on the Vice President's veto. The Turkish side rejected them.
• 21 December 1963: Fighting broke out in Nicosia ('Bloody Christmas' in the Turkish narrative). Turkish Cypriots withdrew from or were excluded from government posts, and the Green Line divided Nicosia in late December. The causes and responsibility are contested (see below). A fuller chronology is in Cyprus Files: The 1963–1964 Record, from the Thirteen Amendments to 'Bloody Christmas'.
• Early 1964: A conference of the guarantor powers in London failed to produce agreement. Both Cyprus and Türkiye brought the matter to the Security Council, which began debating in February.
• 4 March 1964: The Council adopted Resolution 186 unanimously.

What the Text Says

Resolution 186 is short. In summary, its operative provisions do the following:

1. Restraint on states. It calls on all Member States to refrain from any action or threat of action likely to worsen the situation in the 'sovereign Republic of Cyprus' or endanger international peace.
2. Law and order. It asks the Government of Cyprus, which it says has 'the responsibility for the maintenance and restoration of law and order', to take all additional measures necessary to stop violence and bloodshed.
3. Restraint by communities. It calls on 'the communities in Cyprus and their leaders' to act with the utmost restraint.
4. A UN force. It recommends a UN peacekeeping force 'with the consent of the Government of Cyprus'. The Secretary-General sets its composition and size in consultation with the governments of Cyprus, Greece, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.
5. Its function. The force is to prevent a recurrence of fighting and, as necessary, contribute to the maintenance and restoration of law and order and a return to normal conditions.
6. A mediator. It recommends that the Secretary-General designate a mediator, in agreement with the same four governments, to promote a peaceful solution and an agreed settlement.

The preamble also refers to the positions taken by the parties in relation to the Treaty of Guarantee. Readers should check the exact wording in the original UN document, as paraphrases of this resolution vary widely.

Two features matter for the later dispute. First, the resolution speaks of 'the Government of Cyprus' as a single actor and says nothing about the Vice President, the Turkish Cypriot ministers or the 1960 constitutional balance. Second, it speaks of 'the communities' and their leaders separately from 'the Government'. The text therefore treats the Turkish Cypriots as a community, not as a co-founding partner within the government.

The mediator appointed under the resolution was the Finnish diplomat Sakari Tuomioja. After his death in September 1964, Galo Plaza of Ecuador took over. UNFICYP began operating in late March 1964 and its mandate has been renewed repeatedly since.

Key Players & Positions

The United Nations

The UN has treated the 1964 resolution as a peacekeeping mandate, not a ruling on constitutional legitimacy. UNFICYP's operations rest on the resolution and its renewals. Later Council texts, such as Resolution 541 (1983) on the declaration of the TRNC, use the language of the Republic of Cyprus. The UN also maintains that a settlement must be negotiated between the two communities under the Secretary-General's good offices.

Greek Cypriot Reading

The Republic of Cyprus holds that the 1960 state continued after December 1963 and that its government was the legitimate government throughout. Greek Cypriot sources generally say the Turkish Cypriot ministers and officials withdrew on their own leadership's instructions, and that the Cyprus Supreme Court later applied a doctrine of necessity to keep the state functioning. On this reading, Resolution 186 confirms the Republic's sovereignty and its government's responsibility for order. It also required that government's consent for the force, as with any peacekeeping operation on a state's territory.

British Reading

The United Kingdom was a guarantor power and held sovereign base areas on the island, so London had its own interest in a prompt UN solution. British policy in early 1964 was to support a peacekeeping force, and British troops formed part of the early UNFICYP contingents. London's public line was to work with the Cyprus government as the internationally recognised authority while stressing the need to protect both communities. Readers should consult the UK's own UN statements and parliamentary records for exact wording.

Turkish Cypriot Reading

Turkish Cypriot leaders, including Vice President Fazıl Küçük, held that the Vice Presidency and the Turkish Cypriot share of government posts were constitutional entitlements. They argue the community was forced out of state organs by armed attacks, not by choice. They also point out that the force was deployed with the consent of an administration that no longer included them.

Source Comparison

International media accounts usually describe the resolution as a neutral peacekeeping decision and move quickly to 1974. Turkish primary sources focus on the wording on government and consent. Readers should compare the original text with the speeches in the Security Council meeting records, which show how each party argued the point in March 1964. The same status question recurs in The Maritime Record, where offshore rights depend on who is held to represent the island. For wider debates on how the Council's composition and decisions are judged, see The Nations Compass on UN reform and The Global Anatomy.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• UNFICYP: The UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, created under Resolution 186 to prevent a recurrence of fighting and help restore normal conditions. It still operates, including along the buffer zone.
• Vice President's veto: Under the 1960 constitution, the Turkish Cypriot Vice President could block certain decisions on foreign affairs, defence and security. It was a central point in the 1963 amendment proposals.
• Bi-communal partnership: The 1960 principle that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots were co-founders of the state with political equality, rather than a majority and a minority.
• Treaty of Guarantee: The 1960 treaty between Cyprus, Greece, Türkiye and the United Kingdom under which the three guarantors undertook to maintain the established order.

Related guides on Politics Record: Cyprus Files, The Treaty Archive, The 2004 Annan Plan Referendum, Editorial Principles and the Politics Record FAQ.

Politics Record presents analysis from a Türkiye-informed perspective, grounded in Turkish official positions, treaty texts and international law. Claims are attributed to primary sources such as treaties, UN documents, parliamentary records and state archives, and readers are encouraged to verify them independently. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Position on the Record' reflect official Turkish policy as stated by Turkish government sources. — Politics Record Editorial Team