The Cyprus Dispute: What is the Cause for an Unachievable Reunification?

Year 2018, Volume: 53 Issue: 1, 39 - 61, 08.05.2018

Resul Yalçın

Abstract

Cyprus has become a diplomatic graveyard having frustrated generations of negotiators. It has now been exactly 53 years since Cyprus became a politically separated nation and for 43 years it has been a physically divided country. A permanent solution to end these divisions still proving to be elusive. There have been numerous, unsuccessful rounds of U.N.-sponsored direct and indirect negotiations to achieve a settlement in Cyprus. Negotiations focused on reconciling the two sides’ interests and re-establishing a central government. They foundered on definitions of goals and ways to implement a federal solution, yet talks have failed to yield any concrete agreement acceptable to both parties. The most intensive and “optimistic” negotiations which had been ongoing for the last three years achieved no progress, not only at the leaders’ level but also at the negotiators’ level. Turkish Cypriot Leader Mustafa Akıncı and the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades held their last planned leaders meeting, on 17 May 2017, at the UN building reserved for the negotiations in the buffer zone in Lefkoşa produced no result. A new round of talks over reunification of Cyprus enforced by the UN in Switzerland’s Crans-Montana on 28 June also ended in failure on 7 July 2017. There are numerous books and articles published regarding the Cyprus dispute, each expressing various views of opinions regarding the history, the dispute and the talks to find a lasting solution for the divided Island. This paper aims to point out the matters making Cyprus reunification unreachable. It gives an outline of the historical account of the events that led to the political and physical division of the Island and then analyses the most recent mediations and negotiations aimed at finding a lasting solution to reunite Cyprus as a political entity. The paper also attempts to answer the following questions: What are the roots and causes of the Cyprus dispute and what explains the reasons behind failed attempts at settlement negotiations? Why has there been no solution for the Cyprus dispute for such a long time and what makes it so difficult to achieve a set of agreements acceptable to both Cyprus Communities? What is the possible strategy for achieving a lasting, just, solution for the Cyprus reunification and what reduces the scope for conflict resolution in Cyprus? What should the dispute resolutions focus more on? What is the impact of history on the conflicting parties and on the dispute resolution process?  

Keywords

Cyprus dispute, Greek cypriots

Kıbrıs Anlaşmazlığı: Ada’nın Yeniden Birleştirilmesi Neden Mümkün Değildir?

Abstract

Kıbrıs, 53 yıldan beri siyasi olarak birbirinden ayrılmış iki halkı,  43 yıldır de fiziksel olarak bölünmüş bir ülke
olarak sayısız müzakere kuşaklarını tüketerek adeta diplomatik bir mezarlık
haline geldi. Bu bölünmeleri sona erdirmek için kalıcı bir çözüme ulaşmanın
hâlâ zor olduğu kuşkusuz. Bununla birlikte, Kıbrıs'ta kalıcı bir anlaşmaya
varmak için BM tarafından doğrudan ya da dolaylı olarak düzenlenen ve hepsinin
de başarısız sonuçlandığı müzakerelerin birçok turu yapıldı. Müzakerelere
katılan taraflar belirledikleri amaçlar etrafında tanımlamalar yapıp federal
bir çözüme varmak için çeşitli yollar aradılar, ancak görüşmelerde taraflarca
kabul edilebilir somut bir anlaşma sağlanamadı. Son üç yıldır sürmekte olan en
yoğun ve "olumlu" görüşmeler sadece liderler düzeyinde değil, aynı
zamanda müzakereciler düzeyinde de ilerleme kaydetmeyi amaçlamasına rağmen,
beklenen olumlu hava sonuç vermedi. Bu bakımda, bu makale, Ada'nın siyasi ve
fiziksel bölünmesine yol açan olayların tarihsel hesabının bir özetini vererek,
Kıbrıs'ı politik bir varlık olarak yeniden  birleştirmek için kalıcı bir çözüm bulmaya yönelik düzenlenen en son
arabuluculuk görüşmelerine ve müzakerelere odaklanıp Kıbrıs'ın yeniden
birleştirilmesini ulaşılamaz hale getiren sebepleri belirtiyor. 

Keywords

Kıbrıs anlaşmazlığı, Kıbrıs Yunan toplumu

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