Cyprus: a never ending partition?
'My generation is dropping down the blame game. We have seen what not to do', says 28-year-old Turkish Cypriot Berk Tansel. 'We have to think of ourselves as part of the whole that we are, whether we like it or not. », echoes Christiana Eftychiou, 22 years old, and a Greek Cypriot. Their friendship grew from a shared commitment to reunification.
Cyprus is divided since 1974, when a Greek-backed coup triggered a Turkish military intervention.
This led to a split between the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot-controlled Republic of Cyprus, and the self-declared 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' recognized only by Turkey.
While the Republic of Cyprus is part of the European Union, EU law does not apply in the breakaway northern entity, which remains under Turkish military presence.
Berk and Christiana routinely cross the checkpoints separating the two communities.
'I grew up in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus, and experienced what it means to be a European citizen, but technically not live in the EU where EU acquis is enforced », says Berk.
'Your rights are suspended, there's corruption.
And this place being a legal internationally black hole, it pushes the mafia, human trafficking, sex trafficking.'
The 'only way out' insists Berk, 'is the agreed UN framework, a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, where the EU acquis is applied all across the island.'
Christiana has more faith in grassroots action than formal politics.
'We need to change the narrative. We have narratives shaping the identity of Greek and Turkish Cypriots, in our education, our everyday life. There's a construction of the 'other person' that you never really get to meet'. A sociology student, she advocates for 'more common spaces, more exposure to whatever we deem as 'the other', so that it is not a threat anymore. This is not being encouraged, on a larger scale.' sighs Christiana. 'If we carry on the way we do, with the idea of a Federation taking a big part in political discourse, but no practical action towards that, nothing will happen.', she warns.
Chances of reopening official reunification talks, stalled since 2017, are thin, according to Hubert Faustmann, a professor at the University of Nicosia, and director of the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation's Cyprus Office.
'The Turkish Cypriot and Turkish position has shifted. They insist on the recognition of equal sovereignty, or even of the separatist Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, as a prerequisite for talks. The Greek Cypriot side and the international community will never accept this.'
As for the European Union's role, the analyst is skeptical.
'Given that the Greek Cypriot-dominated Republic of Cyprus has joined the EU, Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots reject an active role of the European Union.' he explains, while acknowledging the Cyprus problem is 'a European problem.' 'There's a part of European territory, legally speaking, that's occupied by Turkey.
There's an unresolved dispute pitching the European Union against Turkey, with many EU states having no interest in a confrontation with Turkey.
While the Greek policy is to use EU membership against Turkey to get concessions in the Cyprus question.', says Faustmann, before concluding:
'This is a stable conflict. It's very much conflict management rather than conflict resolution. I fear the status quo is here for years to come, with this island slowly drifting into permanent partition.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Von der Leyen and Trump strike EU-US trade deal to avert tariff war
The European Union and the United States have struck a tentative trade deal to avert a potentially devastating tariff war between two of the world's largest economies, capping a race against time before a self-imposed deadline of 1 August. Under the agreed terms, finalised on Sunday by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump during a meeting in Scotland, the majority of EU exports bound for the American market will be slapped with a 15% tariff. "I think it's great we made a deal today instead of playing games," Trump said at the end of the meeting. "I think it's the biggest deal ever made." "We have a trade deal between the two largest economies in the world. And it's a big deal. It's a huge deal," von der Leyen said. "It will bring stability, it will bring predictability. That's very important for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic." This is a developing story.
LeMonde
3 hours ago
- LeMonde
EU chief to Zelensky: Keep anti-graft bodies independent
The president of the European Commission urged Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, July 27, to preserve the independence of anti-corruption organizations, after a row last week over Kyiv's move to curb their powers. Ursula von der Leyen said she had held good talks with the leader of Ukraine, a country she said had "already achieved a lot on its European path." "It must build on these solid foundations and preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine's rule of law," she added in a post on X. Ukraine sparked a firestorm of criticism on Tuesday after its parliament voted to revoke the autonomy of two anti-corruption agencies. The EU at the time described the move as a "serious step back," with critics saying it would enable the government to meddle in high-profile graft cases. Von der Leyen herself demanded "explanations" from Zelensky, a rare rebuke from Brussels that came as Kyiv is pushing to join the 27-nation EU. The move sparked unprecedented protests in Kyiv, and Zelensky backtracked two days later, announcing new laws to guarantee the independence of the anti-graft bodies. The EU was quick to welcome that action, saying the fight against corruption was "an extremely important priority for us and for Ukraine as well." "Ukraine can count on our support to deliver progress on its European path," said von der Leyen on Sunday in her post on X.
France 24
15 hours ago
- France 24
Urgent need for 'global approach' on AI regulation: UN tech chief
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) agency, told AFP she hoped that AI "can actually benefit humanity". But as concerns mount over the risks posed by the fast-moving technology -- including fears of mass job losses, the spread of deepfakes and disinformation, and society's fabric fraying -- she insisted that regulation was key. "There's an urgency to try to get... the right framework in place," she said, stressing the need for "a global approach". Her comments came after US President Donald Trump this week unveiled an aggressive, low-regulation strategy aimed at ensuring the United States stays ahead of China on AI. Among more than 90 proposals, Trump's plan calls for sweeping deregulation, with the administration promising to "remove red tape and onerous regulation" that could hinder private sector AI development. Asked if she had concerns about an approach that urges less, not more, regulation of AI technologies, Bogdan-Martin refrained from commenting, saying she was "still trying to digest" the US plan. 'Critical' "I think there are different approaches," she said. "We have the EU approach. We have the Chinese approach. Now we're seeing the US approach. I think what's needed is for those approaches to dialogue," she said. At the same time, she highlighted that "85 percent of countries don't yet have AI policies or strategies". A consistent theme among those strategies that do exist is the focus on innovation, capacity building and infrastructure investments, Bogdan-Martin said. "But where I think the debate still needs to happen at a global level is trying to figure out how much regulation, how little regulation, is needed," she said. Bogdan-Martin, who grew up in New Jersey and has spent most of her more than three-decade career at the ITU, insisted the Geneva-based telecoms agency that sets standards for new technologies was well-placed to help facilitate much-needed dialogue on the issue. "The need for a global approach I think is critical," she said, cautioning that "fragmented approaches will not help serve and reach all". As countries and companies sprint to cement their dominance in the booming sector, there are concerns that precautions could be thrown to the wind -- and that those who lose the race or do not have the capacity to participate will be left behind. 'Huge gap' The ITU chief hailed "mind-blowing" advances within artificial intelligence, with the potential to improve everything from education to agriculture to health care -- but insisted the benefits must be shared. Without a concerted effort, there is a risk that AI will end up standing for "advancing inequalities", she warned, cautioning against deepening an already dire digital divide worldwide. "We have 2.6 billion people that have no access to the internet, which means they have no access to artificial intelligence", Bogdan-Martin pointed out. "We have to tackle those divides if we're actually going to have something that is beneficial to all of humanity." Bogdan-Martin, the first woman to serve as ITU secretary-general in the organisation's nearly 160-year history, also stressed the need to get more women into the digital space. "We have a huge gap," she said. "We definitely don't have enough women... in artificial intelligence." The 59-year-old mother of four said it was "a big honour" to be the first woman in her position, to be "breaking the glass ceiling (and) paving the path for future generations". But she acknowledged there was a lot of pressure, "not just to achieve, but to almost overachieve". Bogdan-Martin, who is being backed by the Trump administration to stand for re-election when her four-year mandate ends next year, said she was eager to stay on for a second term. "There is a lot to do." © 2025 AFP
