Solving Cyprus? The need for new realities

For decades, international stakeholders have made determined efforts to reunite the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities under a bi-zonal, bi-communal federal umbrella. Yet, all attempts to reach a comprehensive settlement have failed, including, most recently, the Annan Plan of 2004. These diplomatic failures continue to impair relations between Turkey and Greece, restrain Turkey’s engagement with the European Union (EU), and complicate EU and NATO interactions.

In the latest Turkey Project Policy Paper, “The need for realism: Solving the Cyprus problem through linkage politics,” Harry Tzimitras and Mete Hatay of the Peace Research Institute Oslo’s Cyprus Center explore how a lasting solution to the conflict might be feasible through “regional and transnational linkage politics,” and new ways of carving out avenues of cooperation that may allow for a more peaceful co-existence.

On October 5, 2016, the Center on the United States and Europe (CUSE) hosted a panel discussion on new approaches to resolving the Cyprus conflict where Harry Tzimitras presented conclusions from the new co-authored paper. Following his remarks, Diana Chigas of Tufts University and Andrew Novo of the National Defense University offered perspectives in response. The discussion was moderated by Brookings TÜSİAD Senior Fellow Kemal Kirişci.