# United Nations Security Council Resolution 541 > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_541 > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_541.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_541 > Source revision: 1335648608 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) United Nations resolution adopted in 1983 UN Security Council Resolution 541 Northern Cyprus Date 18 November 1983 Meeting no. 2,500 Code S/RES/541 (Document) Subject Cyprus Voting summary 13 voted for 1 voted against 1 abstained Result Adopted Security Council composition Permanent members China France Soviet Union United Kingdom United States Non-permanent members Guyana Jordan Malta Netherlands Nicaragua Pakistan Poland Togo Zaire Zimbabwe ← 540 Lists of resolutions 542 → [Northern Cyprus](/source/Northern_Cyprus) [declared its independence](/source/Declaration_of_Independence_of_the_Turkish_Republic_of_Northern_Cyprus) in 1983 with its official name being the [Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)](/source/Northern_Cyprus). It is recognized only by [Turkey](/source/Turkey). With **United Nations Security Council resolution 541**, adopted on 18 November 1983, after reaffirming [Resolution 365](/source/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_365) (1974) and [Resolution 367](/source/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_367) (1975), the Council considered [Northern Cyprus](/source/Northern_Cyprus)' decision to [declare independence](/source/Declaration_of_Independence_of_the_Turkish_Republic_of_Northern_Cyprus) legally invalid. It called upon both parties to cooperate with the [Secretary-General](/source/Secretary-General_of_the_United_Nations), and urged other Member States not to recognize Northern Cyprus, while only recognizing the [Republic of Cyprus](/source/Cyprus) as the sole authority on the island. The resolution was adopted by 13 votes to one against ([Pakistan](/source/Pakistan)) and one abstention from [Jordan](/source/Jordan). ## Hellenic Republic v. Council of the European Communities On 04.08.1986, [Greece](/source/Greece) filed a case against the [Council of the European Communities](/source/Council_of_the_European_Union) (supporting intervener: [Commission of the European Communities](/source/European_Commission)). In the case, [Greece](/source/Greece) first argued that the UN Security Council Resolution 1983/541 called "upon all States not to recognize any Cypriot State other than the Republic of Cyprus". [Greece](/source/Greece) then reasoned that since the Turkish Government recognized the [Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus](/source/Turkish_Republic_of_Northern_Cyprus), the European Community "cannot grant it the special aid without ignoring that breach and thereby itself violating an obligation imposed on it under a measure which is binding on it by virtue of the principle of substitution."[1] On 25.05.1988, [Council of the European Communities](/source/Council_of_the_European_Union) (supporting intervener: [Commission of the European Communities](/source/European_Commission)) specified that the UN Security Council Resolution 1983/541 which is **not passed under Article VII of [the UN Charter](/source/Charter_of_the_United_Nations)** is **non-binding** in nature, and Council of EC and the Commission of the EC stated that "It is manifest from the wording of the operative part and from the debates and the declarations of vote prior to the adoption of Resolution No 541 that **the Resolution does not constitute a "decision" and is therefore not a binding measure**, but a measure in the nature of a **mere recommendation**. Consequently, the States to which the declaration is addressed are NOT bound to comply with paragraph 7 of the resolution or to infer from the fact that paragraph 7 was not complied with the consequences which [Greece](/source/Greece) claims they should infer."[2] On 27.09.1988, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) rejected all of the [Greece](/source/Greece)'s arguments in the Case 204/86 (Greek Republic v. [Council of the European Communities](/source/Council_of_the_European_Union) (supporting intervener: [Commission of the European Communities](/source/European_Commission)). Since [Greece](/source/Greece) lost the case, the ECJ ordered Greece to pay the court costs (including the costs of the intervener), per the rules of procedure of the ECJ. The ECJ stated (in prg28) that the Resolution 1983/541 of the United Nations Security Council is completely extraneous to relations between the Community and Turkey.[3] ## See also - [Cyprus portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Cyprus) - [Two-state solution (Cyprus)](/source/Two-state_solution_(Cyprus)) - [Cyprus dispute](/source/Cyprus_dispute) - [List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 501 to 600](/source/List_of_United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolutions_501_to_600) (1982–1987) - [United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus](/source/United_Nations_Buffer_Zone_in_Cyprus) - [Turkish invasion of Cyprus](/source/Turkish_invasion_of_Cyprus) - [United Nations Security Council Resolution 550](/source/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_550) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Developing the principle of non-recognition"](https://digitalcommons.onu.edu/onu_law_review/vol43/iss1/1). *Adam Saltzman*. 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Opinion of the Advocate-General (of CoEC and CEC)"](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:61986CC0204). *Advocate General Mancini*. 1988. Retrieved 17 January 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Judgment of 27.9.1988 - Case 204/86"](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:eec1dbbe-ca2b-4e87-9f06-d9a2d2b31a10.0002.03/DOC_1&format=PDF). *European Court of Justice (ECJ)*. 1988. Retrieved 23 January 2025. ## External links - Works related to [United Nations Security Council Resolution 541](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Special:Search/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_541) at Wikisource - [Text of Resolution](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_541) v t e United Nations Security Council resolutions adopted in 1983 ← 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 → --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [United Nations Security Council Resolution 541](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_541) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_541?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.