Unification Plans in Cyprus: Political and Historical Challenges

The island of Cyprus is recognized as a historically and politically divided island. It has two different political structures as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Greek Republic of Southern Cyprus (GCA). The unification of this structure is an issue that has been discussed for years. However, merger plans face many political and historical challenges. The Cyprus problem came to the fore after gaining its independence in 1960. The island became independent as a result of the agreements made between Turkey, Greece and England. However, these treaties caused the division of Cyprus. In 1974, the Turkish army intervened in the north of Cyprus, causing the establishment of the TRNC. This event is considered to be the beginning of the partition of Cyprus. To date, the Cyprus problem has been discussed many times and many peace plans have been developed. However, these peace plans remained inconclusive due to either insolvency or rejection. Finally, at the Crans-Montana Conference held in 2014, the issue of unification was re-discussed. However, this conference was also inconclusive and the merger plans were shelved again. There are many reasons why merger plans failed. The most important reason is different political structures and different perspectives on past events. The Greek part thinks that all of Cyprus belongs to it. The northern part, on the other hand, accepted Turkey’s guarantor and stated that they would not give up the independence of the TRNC. These different political structures make it difficult for merger plans to succeed. In addition, historical events cast a shadow over the merger plans. There have been conflicts in the past between Turks and Greeks living in Cyprus. These conflicts caused distrust and polarization between the two sides. For this reason, both sides on the issue of unification should forget what happened in the past and be ready for peace. As a result, the issue of unification of Cyprus is fraught with political and historical challenges. Without overcoming these challenges, it is difficult to provide a permanent solution. Peace plans for the Cyprus problem can be discussed again in the future. However, in order for these plans to be successful, the parties must put aside historical and political differences and focus on peace and reconciliation.