The Endless Debate: Cyprus Peace Talks Resume After a Three-Year Break

After a prolonged three-year break, Cyprus peace talks have resumed, reigniting the endless debate surrounding the divided island nation. Now in their last leg of negotiations, the Cyprus peace talks are attempting to address the controversial issue of reunification, a change that the Cypriot community remains divided over.

The island nation is divided into two entities, the Greek Cypriot administration and the Turkish Cypriot administration, separated by a demilitarized zone known as “The Green Line.” This separation occurred after Turkey’s invasion in 1974, following a Greek Cypriot coup orchestrated by the Greek Junta. Since then, the Republic of Cyprus has been recognized by the international community but has never enjoyed the full sovereignty over Cyprus.

Throughout the years that followed the separation of Cyprus, negotiations, and peace talks have failed repeatedly. The latest round of discussions began in 2014, but significant issues prevented any peaceful solutions from emerging. In 2017, the talks were suspended when Turkey, which is the only country that recognizes the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, sent its ships to conduct natural gas exploration in the waters surrounding Cyprus.

The peace talks resumed after discussions began over the Varosha beach resort, a former resort town that has been abandoned since 1974 when its residents were forced to flee during the Turkish invasion. Turkish Cypriot officials have said that the beach town would be turned over to its legal residents and reopened under Turkish Cypriot administration. Still, this proposal was met with significant resistance from Greek Cypriot officials, who argue that it is a blatant violation of international law to appropriate residents’ properties.

Over the years, several campaigns have attempted to consolidate the two administrations. However, both parties remain far apart in terms of their opinions on how they envision the future of the island. Greek Cypriot officials insist that any reunification efforts must involve Turkey’s withdrawal of its military forces and the return of Turkish-occupied territory. On the other hand, Turkish Cypriot officials stress their belief that any solution must address the concerns of their community, which has been oppressed as a minority group.

As of yet, the current round of negotiations is still underway, with no clear resolutions in sight. While optimistic voices remain hopeful about a possible agreement, skeptics are worried that the separate demands of the parties to the talks may be too far apart for an agreement to emerge. The endless debate over the division of Cyprus continues, with a solution looking uncertain in the immediate future.