Tricky reunification in Cyprus

According to a recent survey by the University of Nicosia a majority of Greek Cypriots are against the model of a presidency that rotates between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots. This arrangement, which aims to guarantee equal political rights for both groups, may be agreed on as a compromise in the negotiations for the reunification of Cyprus. Why don't the Cypriots trust each other?

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Politis (CY) /

Misplaced trust in Turkey

The Turkish Cypriots are betting on the wrong horse, Turkish Cypriot columnist Şener Levent writes in Politis:

“Look, the crossings were opened 14 years ago yet 70 percent of the Greek Cypriots have never set foot in the north of the island. And even fewer Turkish Cypriots have visited the south. You could count them on the fingers of one hand. This must at least be taken into account. It shows who trusts whom and whom they don't trust. You don't trust the Greek Cypriots, but you trust Turkey, which is taking great leaps towards becoming a state governed by Islamic law? A Turkey which is plunging into the dark depths of Islamic fascism and has done its citizens great harm?”

Phileleftheros (CY) /

Don't treat Turkish Cypriots like foreigners

With their attitude to the Turkish Cypriots the Greek Cypriots are preventing the healing of the deep rifts in Cyprus, Phileleftheros counters:

“We still view the Turkish Cypriots as foreigners. As if they had no right to Cyprus, as if this island weren't their fatherland. There's no point analysing this from all perspectives. It's enough to note that in the south when we use the term 'Cypriot', we only mean Greek Cypriots. As if being Cypriot were part of our genetic make-up, as if no one else on the island had the right to use the term. And we want to convince the Turkish Cypriots that we are serious about living together and are ready to share the island? The north is just a few steps away from the Ledra Palace checkpoint. ... For very many of us Greek Cypriots, however, the occupied territories [in the north] are a long way off.”