Pendulum Swings in the Cyprus Issue: Between Internationalisation to Europeanisation

Abstract

Pendulum Swings in the Cyprus Issue: Between Internationalisation to Europeanisation

Abstract

The Cyprus issue in Turkish Foreign and domestic policy is predominantly considered as a ‘national cause’ since its significance has often been perceived as having both a security and politic leverage. With the recent exploration of rich hydrocarbons and natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus now also constitutes an economic ascendency for Turkey. This article scrutinises the changing dynamics of the Cyprus issue from bilateral to multilateral levels. In particular, it seeks to explain how the Cyprus issue has evolved from a Turkey-Greece affair to international relations. This paper identifies three broad periods which set the position of the Cyprus issue globally: Internationalisation (1950-1980); Europeanisation (1980-2004); Hybrid period (2004-2020). By analysing each period, this paper claims that Greece and South Cyprus have knowingly pursued a policy to transform the Cyprus issue from the bilateral level to a multilateral dimension, aiming to legitimise their disputed Cyprus policy by bringing foreign actors into the question. This article concludes that a proliferation of global actors on the Cyprus issue causes an asymmetric relationship which poses a formidable obstacle to reaching a long-lasting resolution over the island.

Keywords

• Foreign Policy
• Internationalisation
• Europeanisation
• Turkey
• Greece

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