So let them dance around the corpse. And if they’re ever asked, the answer is ready: “It’s the Turks’ intransigence.”
Last Sunday, from this very space, I expressed the view that the Cyprus issue has become a “never-ending show.” Even before the “crucial weekend” in New York had ended, the two scenarios being discussed were equally disheartening: either a trilateral meeting for appearances’ sake, or a complete deadlock. The latter came to pass, once again exposing the political incompetence of all those who spoke of “significant developments.”
Theater is all well and good, but when you fail to realize that the audience—both inside and outside Cyprus—has grown weary of your monotonous performance, don’t be surprised when the theaters start to empty. And this doesn’t just apply to the President.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
So the trip to New York ended ingloriously. And as if they’d been ready for some time, everyone began dancing around the corpse of the Cyprus issue. Averof Neophytou officially declared the end of the already dead process and announced his candidacy. Anita Dimitriou reacted immediately by announcing her own candidacy. President Christodoulides urges calm and patience, stating—though I don’t know who believes him—that he has not yet decided whether he will run.
And just like that, we’ve put the already frozen Cyprus issue on ice. Do they realize that by the 2028 presidential election—in 17 months—we will have gone a full decade without even the slightest negotiation toward a solution? Do they realize that whoever takes office in 2028 will never again be able to revive a dead issue? In three months, the seventh consecutive UN Secretary-General to have dealt with the Cyprus issue will also be stepping down. And if some believe that the next one will also maintain a supposed effort to resolve the problem, they need only consider where we started and where we stand today.
The President of the Republic criticized those who speak of a dead end. He even cited Ms. Olgin’s upcoming trip and Mr. Guterres’s continued interest to convince people that there is no dead end and that efforts are ongoing. It is questionable whether—and for how much longer—he will continue to believe that, with such arguments, he can convince others that the Cyprus issue is not in a dangerous impasse.
Ms. Olgin has visited Cyprus a few times, and nothing has changed. Mr. Guterres, who is packing his bags in preparation for his departure, did everything he could, but the result was the same. President Christodoulides attempted a trilateral meeting in New York for the sake of appearances and failed.
What, really, is it that bothers the President about acknowledging the impasse? And yes, the Turkish side bears a large share of the responsibility, having—following the collapse of the Crans-Montana talks—definitively drawn a line toward a two-state solution or the “Taiwanization” of the occupied territories. If, however, this is the reality, a different strategy should be devised rather than perpetuating illusions about a non-existent path forward.
What good is the repeated raising of expectations for “significant developments” when, in fact, absolutely no effort is being made to engage with the Turkish Cypriot community—not just its leadership—in a way that fosters conditions for mutual understanding and the building of a shared vision?
Greek Cypriot leaders have, over the years, been terrified by the idea of a dead end. Because all they have learned over the years is how to manage the current state of affairs and maintain a process as a pretext for their supposed determination to resolve the Cyprus problem, which, however, comes up against Turkish intransigence.
Fifty-two years have passed!
Turkish Cypriots have gradually become a minority. Turkish capital exercises absolute control over the economy, and Ankara’s deep state uses the occupied territories as a venue for carrying out its darkest and most illegal schemes.
And here we are, monotonously repeating the phrase “we are continuing our efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue.”
Except that this phrase had a different meaning and was based on different realities in ’74, in 2004, in 2017, and in 2026. If our leaders do not realize that nothing is the same anymore, and if they do not realize that their actions have destroyed the most dynamic element of the prospect for a solution—namely, the Turkish Cypriots— there is no point in them lulling the public into believing they are fighting for a solution.
So let them dance around the corpse. And if they’re ever asked, the answer is ready:
“It’s all because of Turkish intransigence.”
