NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Leaders of the rival factions in ethnically divided Cyprus have announced their readiness to participate in a United Nations-hosted conference next month. This gathering could potentially lead to a resumption of formal negotiations, marking a significant development after an eight-year hiatus in efforts to resolve one of the world’s most enduring conflicts.
However, the success of the upcoming meeting in bridging the gap between the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots, Ersin Tatar, and the Greek Cypriot president, Nikos Christodoulides, on the terms of a future peace agreement remains uncertain. Both Tatar and Christodoulides engaged in separate discussions with U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo to lay the groundwork for the mid-March conference, which will also involve representatives from Cyprus’ guarantor countries: Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
DiCarlo emphasized U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ commitment to facilitating progress in formal negotiations, while Christodoulides reiterated the imperative of not allowing the perpetuation of ethnic division to define Cyprus’ future. “As we observe in our region, unresolved conflicts persist,” Christodoulides remarked.
Cyprus has remained divided along ethnic lines for over fifty years. In 1974, Turkey intervened in response to a coup backed by a Greek junta and aimed at uniting the island with Greece. Subsequently, Turkish Cypriots declared independence in the northern third of Cyprus, an area where Turkey maintains a military presence of over 35,000 troops. Although Cyprus acceded to the European Union in 2004, the full benefits of membership are enjoyed solely by the Greek Cypriots in the south, where the internationally recognized government is seated.
Several rounds of peace talks under U.N. auspices have ended in failure, with the most recent collapse occurring in 2017. Following this setback, Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots diverged from the idea of reunifying Cyprus as a federation comprising Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot territories, a framework that had underpinned all previous negotiations. Instead, they advocate for a two-state solution granting Turkish Cypriots “sovereign equality and equal international status” akin to the Greek Cypriots, as stated by Tatar.
Conversely, Greek Cypriots oppose any agreement that would formalize the island’s division. They also reject the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot demands for a continued Turkish military presence post-settlement and the retention of military intervention rights granted to Ankara.
The deep divide between the two sides is exemplified by an ongoing dispute over the establishment of additional crossing points across the 180-kilometer (120-mile) U.N.-controlled buffer zone to facilitate movement between the two territories. Presently, there are eight designated crossing points.
