British Magazine The Economist Calls Cyprus Issue “Endless”

The esteemed British magazine The Economist has published an article marking the 50th anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation and addressing the Cyprus issue. The magazine asserts that resolving the situation on the island seems unlikely, noting that “for now, the Turks and Greeks are content to remain apart.”

The article highlights that, despite last week's commemoration of 50 years of one of the world’s longest-running conflicts, a resolution to the division of Cyprus is still far off.

“International efforts to unite the island into a ‘bi-zonal, bi-communal federation’ failed in 2004 and 2017. Currently, Cyprus is experiencing its longest period without serious negotiations,” the publication notes.

Earlier this year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, former Foreign Minister of Colombia, as his special envoy to assess whether there are enough common grounds to resume talks. However, the resolution remains elusive.

“Whether good or bad, the political and economic dynamics suggest that the current division could continue indefinitely,” the article states. It also mentions that as early as 2012, scholars Konstantinos Adamides from the University of Nicosia and Costas Constantinou from the University of Cyprus coined the term “comfortable conflict” to describe the ongoing stalemate on the island.

The article further notes that “unlike the Palestinian-Israeli or Armenian-Azerbaijani conflicts, the division of Cyprus is almost literally a walk in the park: since 2003, both sides have permitted free movement across the buffer zone.”

“Freedom of movement and access to Europe have reduced pressure on both sides to seek reunification. For many Greek Cypriots, reunification presents only drawbacks. They would need to share power with Turkish Cypriots (and, indirectly, with Turkey itself). Meanwhile, the economic disparity (with GDP per capita on the Greek side being two or more times higher than on the Turkish side) could lead to economic shocks,” the article concludes.