Question

Resolving Cyprus Problem and Monetizing Gas

Explain in details

Answer 1

Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, is home to 1.1 million and has a tempestuous history involving many actors ranging from different empires and nations of the past to regional and global actors of today, including the UN, EU and NATO. As George Christou highlights, the history of Cyprus “has been characterised by tension and conflict due to the diametrically opposed interests of Greece and the Greek-Cypriots on the one hand, and Turkey and the Turkish-Cypriots on the other”.

Cyprus is one of the most vexing international issues. Settled by the ancient Greeks, the island later fell under the Ottoman Empire, which ceded Cyprus to Great Britain a century ago.

Numerous diplomatic efforts have been made both domestically and internationally to enhance different forms of peaceful unity since the conception of the Cyprus Problem. Over the decades, myriad negotiations and peace-talks have also begun and have been later halted, fast-tracked, and revisited. Nevertheless, it is still imperative to find a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus Problem.

Such a solution, which would also advance the wider cause of peacebuilding and reconciliation, is crucial for several main reasons:

A solution to what both sides call the Cyprus problem is long overdue. But Cypriots need a solution that will survive, enabling them to live together in harmony.