ALWAYS LOOKING AT THE FINGER…

As is the case with many serious issues, the same is true for the Cyprus problem: When someone points to the sky, we look at the finger. We essentially live in a microcosm and reproduce positions and tactics that are familiar to us, and which therefore do not require much effort. This is how things are shaping up today, with the repetition of proposals and methods that have been tried in the past without much success.

In which direction is mainstream political thinking moving at the moment? Towards a more active EU involvement, possibly with the appointment of a special envoy, and a resumption of talks on the basis of what has been discussed so far. Both directions will prove to be dead ends. And this is because the EU itself has much bigger issues to raise with Turkey in a potential trade-off, and because the Turkish side has no intention – under the current circumstances – of returning to the negotiating table to discuss a bizonal bicommunal federal solution. At this point in time, believing that a revival of the process as we have known it for the last five decades is possible, is perhaps rather frivolous.

What we need to understand is that the war in Ukraine was the catalyst that shaped a new international political landscape. Within it, the next day of the global system is already being moulded. Where this process will lead, it is possibly too early to predict. What is important, however, is to understand the major upheavals, the key players and the environment in which our national issue will have a potential role to play. Simply put, the Cyprus problem can no longer  be solved through new rounds of talks, nor through some form of quid pro quo that could likely be offered by the EU. The only remaining possibility for a solution to the Cyprus problem arises through a scenario of a broader settlement in the Eastern Mediterranean region, which would include the restoration of Turkey’s relations with countries such as Israel and Egypt and, above all, the resolution of its disputes with Greece. Is this feasible? Some small steps have begun to be taken, but these cannot predetermine the outcome. This is because a great deal of work still needs to be done with regards to political perceptions as well as public opinion that has been formed over decades.

The question is whether we here in Cyprus understand the large scale of developments that are taking shape or whether we continue to look – as we have become accustomed to – at the finger…

Source: ALWAYS LOOKING AT THE FINGER…

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