Cyprus: Reunification Proving Elusive

Vincent Morelli
Section Research Manager

Attempts to resolve the political division of Cyprus and reunify the island have undergone various levels of negotiation for over 45 years. Since May 26, 2010, Republic of Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu had engaged in an intensified negotiation process to reach a mutually agreed settlement. Despite regular leadership meetings, continuous technical level discussions, and five meetings with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Kimoon, Christofias and Eroglu have been unable to find common ground or make enough necessary concessions on the difficult issues of property rights, territory, settlers, and citizenship, issues where both sides have had long-held and very different positions, to craft a final settlement. In early May 2012 the U.N.-sponsored talks, which had essentially reached a stalemate, were downgraded from leaders’ meetings to technical level discussions with apparently little objection from either side. This change in the status of the negotiations raises questions about whether unification can now be achieved at all, increasing the possibility of the outcome becoming permanent separation.

The talks also fell victim to the convergence of several additional influences that proved too difficult to overcome. One was the fact that the Republic of Cyprus would assume the six-month rotating presidency of the EU on July 1, 2012. Turkey had already announced on several occasions that it would not deal with any aspect of the EU that involved the Cypriot Presidency and it appears that Mr. Eroglu, despite the fact that the negotiations were not part of the Presidency’s mandate, would also not deal directly with President Christofias during the sixmonth period. A second factor was Turkey’s insistence that the U.N. convene an international conference to resolve security-related issues, which would involve Turkey. The Greek Cypriots refused to agree to such a conference until the domestic issues were resolved. The Turkish Cypriots appeared unable to accept any deal until the international conference was at least scheduled.

A third factor contributing to the demise of the negotiations involved the discovery of natural gas deposits off the southern coast of Cyprus and the ensuing debate and competition between the Republic on the one hand and the Turkish Cypriots and Ankara on the other over how these resources would be exploited and shared between the two communities. Accusations, threats, and distrust clouded the negotiating atmosphere. Finally, Christofias’ falling popularity, the domestic political environment in Greek Cyprus, and the forthcoming presidential elections in the Republic in February 2013 would have made any agreement difficult for Christofias to sell to the political opposition and possibly to a majority of the Greek Cypriot population. In May, without an agreement in the works, Christofias announced he would not seek reelection for president next year.

Although the U.N. would like the negotiations to continue at the technical level, unlocking the stalemate and reaching an agreement at the leadership level appears unlikely until after the 2013 national elections in the Republic. In essence, the talks have been placed on hold for almost nine months, a period that seems unacceptable to the Turkish Cypriots.

The United States Congress continues to maintain its interest in a resolution of the Cyprus issue. Language expressing continued support for the negotiation process had been included in the House FY2012 Foreign Assistance Authorization bill. This report provides a brief overview of the early history of the negotiations, a more detailed review of


Date of Report: June 1, 2012
Number of Pages: 27
Order Number: R41136
Price: $29.95

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