New hopes for the unification of Cyprus

"The failure of entrenched Greek Cypriot nationalist [Tassos Papadopoulos] to win the election paves the way for a new attempt to reunify the virtually divided island,” writes Julia Raabe. "The fact that the Turkish-Cypriot Prime Minister has signalled his readiness to talk seems to confirm hopes for peace. But a lot will depend on Turkey now, which has 40,000 soldiers stationed in the northern part of the island and settled tens of thousands of mainland Turkish citizens there as well. The way the country treats Cyprus – Ankara continues to refuse to recognize this EU member – is one of the biggest obstacles in EU talks regarding Turkey. But with Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence and the announcements by many EU countries that they plan to recognise Pristina, Ankara now has new ammunition to bolster its demands for an independent 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.'

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