DEVELOPMENTS

In April 2009 Turkish Cypriot voters gave the hard-line National Unity Party a parliamentary majority, lending urgency to the long-standing problem. Since 1974, the Island has been divided between de facto Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot zones. In that year, the Turkish military invaded Cyprus in the wake of a military coup backed by Greece, claiming its intervention was necessary to protect Turkish Cypriots. To this day, there is a Turkish military presence of 43,000 on the island.

The Turkish government continues to recognize the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which makes up a little over a third of the island. It is the only nation to do so. The European Union, along with the rest of the international community, rejects the Turkish claim and has condemned its occupation of Cyrpus, which presents a major obstacle to Turkey’s EU accession.

Ironically, the basis for an agreement has long existed: both sides generally agree on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federal formula.  But the devil is in the details, and it this case the details are numerous.  A 2004 plan developed by the UN was rejected in referendum by Greek Cypriots who claimed the plan did not address property lost during the Turkish invasion and allowed a Turkish military presence to continue on the island.

Observers agree that the current round of peace talks, begun in September 2008, present the best hope to resolve this conflict.