Foot-and-mouth disease exposed weaknesses, omissions and illusions. Above all, it confirmed once again the fallacy of comfortably coexisting with our unresolved political problem.
For years we have nurtured the illusion that we can function as a normal state, with normal systems of control and oversight, within an abnormal environment. That viruses, illegal trafficking and public health risks will somehow stop at the Green Line. Yet diseases recognise neither borders nor political sensitivities. The short-sighted assumption that “we are not at risk” because whatever is happening is on the other side proves dangerous – and often disastrous.
It did not take long for the familiar blame game to begin. “The Turkish Cypriots are to blame,” we heard. “They were careless and now our animals have been infected as well.” ELAM rushed to declare itself vindicated, arguing that the crossing points should have been closed as it had demanded. As if a virus presents its identity at the checkpoint before crossing to our side. As if the air, the birds or the flows of trade can be controlled with slogans and social media posts.
This easy nationalist rhetoric functions as a form of self-gratification: it shifts responsibility elsewhere and tells people what they want to hear. But it answers none of the essential questions. How promptly were the competent authorities informed? How systematic were the inspections? How were animal feed and livestock transported? If the outbreak had indeed appeared in mid-December, why was there no immediate mobilisation? A properly organised European state must operate with responsibility, speed and accountability – not with evasions.
Above all, however, the reality of interconnections cannot be ignored. When business activities extend to both sides of the island, when economic flows are intertwined – legally or illegally – invoking “the other side” as a scapegoat is simply hypocritical. The problem may be political, but it is also practical and part of everyday life.
After sixty years of division we still have not learned a simple truth: you can place checkpoints in front of people, but not in the air, nor among birds and animals. Viruses do not respect barbed wire and they do not recognise pseudo-states. The real issue is not whether more or fewer crossings will close, nor whether division will deepen further. The real issue is whether there will be institutional, organised and sustained cooperation between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots within a single, common state.
At some point we must realise that this place is too small even for one state, let alone two. And that the security of our food chain, the protection of livestock farming and the health of citizens cannot be partitioned. The theory of “they over there and we over here”, the idea of “a wall down the middle”, and the doctrine of a so-called “second-best solution” reveal profound naivety rather than political direction. And they also betray a troubling absence of a true sense of homeland.
This article was first published on 27.02.2026
