The closing of the crossing points in the early stages of the pandemic has been a travesty for relations between people in the two communities, who had been free to come and go for 18 years. The short supply of political will Despite the numerous creative and implementable solutions to the thorniest issues being proposed by experts from both communities, real political will — a readiness to compromise or take calculated risks — has been absent.
Winning elections have proven to be more important than effectively selling the benefits of reunification to the population. The groundwork necessary to build trust has never been carried out adequately. Peace processes have been leader-driven and excluded society, with limited cooperation between the two communities. Hardliners on both sides but particularly Greek Cypriot spread disinformation and scaremonger.
Nonetheless, there is one area where all parties excel: the blame game. This is the time for big decisions The current situation is unsustainable. Both Greek and Turkish Cypriots have plenty to lose from the absence of a solution. Many Greek Cypriots remain sceptical about reunification, fearing it would inject a significant dose of Ankara into Cyprus. But failing to support a deal would actually probably mean a bigger and more unpredictable shot. While an internationally recognised two-state solution seems highly unlikely, northern Cyprus being totally swallowed up as a de facto Turkish province is likely.
This would have serious security implications for Greek Cypriots as well as for the lives of Turkish Cypriots. After months of UN shuttle diplomacy, there must be some hope of finding common ground in Geneva. Pressure is on Tatar and Turkey to show some flexibility. Otherwise, the talks risk being a total flop. Ankara pursues a more nationalist, assertive foreign policy. Michalis Kontos is a political scientist. He is the author, co-author and co-editor of a number of books and scientific publications on the Cyprus problem, the Cyprus party system and international politics.
Designed and Built by Prime Creative. Close Menu X. Register Login. Toggle navigation. The Republic of Cyprus was established in as a constitutional partnership state, based on the political equality of the two constituent peoples of the island, the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots. The Greek Cypriots openly sought to unite the island with Greece, a process they called Enosis , but which was expressly forbidden by a treaty guaranteeing the independence of the island.
It was at this time that a Green Line was drawn across Nicosia and the United Nations established its presence on the island. As violence subsided, Greek Cypriots nonetheless continued their drive for Enosis , forcing Turkish Cypriots to live in ethnically homogenous enclaves. Nicosia is to this day the only divided capital in the world. At the crossroads of Eastern and Western civilizations lies the sun-kissed island of Cyprus.
Cyprus, the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, houses an innumerable common treasury of civilization. Settled by the ancient Greeks, the island later fell under the Ottoman Empire.
Most Greek Cypriots wanted union with Greece enosis whilst most Turkish Cypriots wanted partition taksim. It could be argued that the foundation of the Republic of Cyprus in constituted a compromise formula that many people did not support- the concepts of enosis and taksim were deeply rooted. The Cypriot Constitution of served as a double-edged sword; whilst the Turkish minority was given a considerable degree of administrative power, it was viewed as an unjust settlement and thus exacerbated the animosity between the two communities.
Inter-communal violence broke out on the island in late and centuries of peaceful coexistence collapsed. On the 20 th of July , Turkey, citing the Treaty of Guarantee as a legal basis for its actions, sent troops to Cyprus to allegedly protect Turkish Cypriots.
The invasion of Cyprus by Turkey in resulted in the partitioning of the island, the North occupied by Turkey and the South by the Greek Cypriots. Since , the last divided capital stands still in time. Some , Greek Cypriots fled to the South to escape.
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