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A meeting of cultures since Antiquity

Everyone has been to Cyprus: the Romans, the Phoenicians, the Ottomans. The Greek goddess of love Aphrodite is even supposed to have climbed out of the sea onto a Cyprus rock. Even today there are still remains of many cultures on the island, which testify to Cyprus's strategic position in the Mediterranean.

There is little doubt that Cyprus occupies a geo-strategic position at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. Whether, however, this position is a blessing or a curse is a matter for debate.

A holy place since 900 A.D: St. Lazarus Church in Larnaca, the birthplace of the Stoic Zenon and the island's diplomatic centre under Ottoman rule.
Photo: Cypruspictures.net

A brief look at history shows that until 1960, when it became independent, Cyprus had a large number of foreign rulers: the Mycenaeans, who brought about the Hellenisation of the island, the Phoenicians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Persians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Franks, the Venetians, the Ottomans and finally the British. This fact in itself demonstrates how strategic the island is, for each of these peoples was passing through on their way east, west, north, or south.

British and Turkish troops

To take only the most recent example, the British. Having already conceded independence to a number of other colonies, such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Egypt and India by the mid-twentieth century, the British were reluctant to let Cyprus go, particularly after their major defeat in the Suez crisis of 1956. Even after the British granted Cyprus independence in 1960 following the Cypriot anti-colonial war, they still retained four military bases on the island. For this reason for many people – mainly Greek Cypriots – Cyprus's position is more of a curse than a blessing, particularly given the continuing presence of Turkish troops on the island and their reluctance to leave, even after a possible settlement of the Cyprus problem.

Thousands of years of civilisation

A closer look at the island reveals that Cyprus is not just a strategic island but also has unique cultural, historical and particularly economic resources. This has its origins in the many peoples and cultures that it has come into contact with over the centuries. Remains from Ancient Greece, the Roman and Byzantine Empires, the Middle Ages, Ottoman rule and the colonial era are all pieces of Cyprus's cultural mosaic, which includes Byzantine and Gothic churches alongside mosques, ancient theatres and mosaics, medieval walls and harbors, and Aphrodite's sanctuaries and the Roman Tombs of the Kings as well as monasteries. Cyprus's geographical position led it to develop economic and commercial relations with neighbouring countries, such as Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Asia Minor, very early on – from the third millennium B.C according to some sources – mainly due to the exportation of copper.

Old lady: A floor mosaic in a villa at the Ancient excavation site Kourion im southern Cyprus.

Photo: Cypruspictures.net

Nowadays, Cyprus has a highly developed services sector. Many companies from Russia, Israel and other Middle Eastern countries and elsewhere enjoy the favourable legal, accounting, tax and consulting services that Cyprus has to offer. In addition there has been a property boom in recent years, with the Russians, the British and the Israelis among the main investors. A large number of tourists (between 2.5 and 3 million, according to government statistics) visit Cyprus every year. They come from Europe (particularly Germany, Greece, Sweden and the UK), and from other countries in the region such as Israel and Russia. Cyprus is also an increasingly attractive location for academics. The island's six universities (three state and three private universities) attract a large number of foreign students (29% of the total student population for the year 2007). They come from Russia, the Middle East, India, Pakistan and China, but also from Europe and the United States. Five institutions in northern Cyprus also enjoy university status and attract students from Turkey and from some Arab countries as well as local students.

Dialogue in all directions

It is therefore not surprising that some people maintain that Cyprus has a central cultural, political and economic role to play in Europe and in the region. Since its accession to the European Union, Cyprus has become the EU's eastern external border in the Mediterranean, thus enhancing its role as a political, economic and cultural bridge between the European Union and the Near and Middle East. Furthermore, as a founder member of the Euro-Mediterranean process Euro-Mediterranean process, it has developed its own neighbourhood policies towards North Africa and is also an active participant in the Union for the Mediterranean.

Byzantine wall paintings in the Kykkos Monastery.

Photo: Cypruspictures.net

If we believe the old Napoleonic saying that "a country's foreign policy lies in its geography", then Cyprus has its own interest in moving in this direction. Specifically, if a comprehensive settlement is found to the Cyprus problem, Cyprus can become a centre and a bridge at the same time. As Alain le Roy, French Ambassador in charge of the Union for the Mediterranean said of Cyprus: "As a country situated in such a geo-strategic position in the centre of the Mediterranean and able to connect the West and the East, the European and the Arab world, Cyprus is legitimately obliged to assume her significant and vital role.”

Anna Papasavva

Anna Papasavva was born in Limassol, Cyprus, in 1981. She studying for her doctorate at the Pantheon University in Paris. She is currently a project ...
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Further articles on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » EU enlargement, » Middle East, » Europe, » Greece, » Cyprus, » Turkey
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » EU enlargement, » Middle East, » Europe, » Greece, » Cyprus, » Turkey