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The edge of the buffer zone in the town of Deryneia. Photo via Getty Images.

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This time around, the push for resolution comes from inside Cyprus.

For the first time since the Turkish invasion of 1974, the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities both have moderate pro-resolution leaders. With assistance from the UN, Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci have spent two years discussing the complex web of issues dividing the two communities: the land area each will occupy, the constitutional setup of the reunified Cypriot state, the return of Greek refugees to areas occupied by Turkey, and the compensation for loss of property. In the latest round of negotiations in Switzerland there were still disagreements, but it seems both sides are willing to find a compromise.…  Seguir leyendo »

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Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders are seeking to resolve a decades-long dispute about the governance of Cyprus in talks happening in Geneva, Switzerland. The island remains divided by a United Nations buffer zone, established to end the conflict between the two sides. But although fighting ceased in 1974, a permanent agreement on how Cyprus should be governed has never been reached. There are several very big questions to answer before that can happen.

What is the main topic of discussion?

Right now, everything is on the table. The first two days of talks between the two Cypriot leaders are intended to lead to a high-level conference with representatives from Greece, Turkey, and the UK.…  Seguir leyendo »

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In the powder keg of the Middle East’s religious and ethnic conflicts, the 40-year-long division of Cyprus between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots shouldn’t rank high on the list of dangers to defuse. This does not make the issue less relevant — nor less dangerous.

Turkey, already unsettled by the surge in Islamist extremism and Kurdish nationalism in the region, has now raised the stakes in the eastern Mediterranean. Demanding that the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, stop exploring for gas and oil in the island’s offshore economic zone, on Oct. 20 Ankara sent an exploratory vessel into the same waters — accompanied by a warship.…  Seguir leyendo »

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At a time when regional crises appear ubiquitous, there is one decades-old flash point in the world where the chances of reconciliation and a lasting peace are steadily improving: the 50-year old Cyprus dispute.

I have been in Washington this week meeting with American officials at both the White House and State Department, as well as members of Congress and leaders in the think tank world, to discuss exciting developments at home focusing on United Nations-sponsored negotiations between the Greek Cypriot administration and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Turkish Cypriot President Dervis Eroglu and Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades issued a joint declaration last month setting out a new road map for talks in the hope of resolving this 50-year-old dispute once and for all.…  Seguir leyendo »

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It has often been said that Cyprus never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. This maxim was being bandied about especially after the negative Greek Cypriot vote on reunification in 2004. Life was good in their south of the island then and there was no apparent cost to sticking with the status quo.

A new reality has now imposed itself on the Greek Cypriots. The situation is dire and the immediate future does not look encouraging unless imaginative solutions are found. I firmly believe those solutions are now within reach.

Here’s why. Economic and social conditions in the Turkish-controlled north are improving, creating a more level playing field between the two sides.…  Seguir leyendo »