In a congratulatory message to President-Elect Donald Trump, President Nicos Anastasiades asked for a deepening strategic relationship between Cyprus and the US.
“I look forward to working with you to practically enhance our already significant bilateral cooperation from the field of energy, to that of commerce and investments, as well as security, including in the area of counter-terrorism,” said Anastasiades.
The US plays a pivotal role in Cyprus’ reunification, he adds. Relations have improved in recent years, partly based on Cyprus’ support of US counter-terrorist and military operations in Syria and Iraq. Another reason is the discovery of large offshore natural gas reserves and the involvement of US energy giants in exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
In addition, the US and Turkey are allies, and it is Cyprus’ hope that Trump can build stronger relations with Russia - seen as a counterweight to Turkish expansionism and aggression.
If and when a local deal is reached between President Anastasiades and Turkish-Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, the negotiators will move to an international meeting with representatives from Turkey, the UK and Greece, which are constitutional guarantors, according to the 1960 treaty establishing the Republic of Cyprus.
The final stage before twin referenda in both communities will be a meeting with Turkey, Greece, the UK and the Cypriot negotiation teams.
The sticking points remain:
- Security. Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots want to retain Turkey’s guarantee over Cyprus. This is rejected by the Greek Cypriots and even the other guarantors – UK and Greece – have said they no longer want to be guarantors.
- Property and territory. The 1974 Turkish invasion resulted in ethnic cleansing of Greek Cypriots from the north of the island. The two communities have been segregated ever since by Turkish troops. No formula has yet been found to agree on the territory allocated to each community that would make up the two entities under a federal umbrella. The Greek-Cypriots have made it clear they won’t accept a solution without the return of Morphou district. This condition is rejected by the Turkish Cypriots.
- Voting rights. What exactly does political equality mean? The Turkish Cypriots are negotiating for political equality but the formula has once again not been found that would work long term. The minority cannot rule the majority, and nobody wants to be a second-class citizen, meaning that balancing out the governing powers is a huge challenge.
Another significant challenge is the trust between the communities, struck down by decades of separation and the roots of conflict left over from the Ottoman wars in the region.
If a deal is reached in 2016, the referenda would be held in 2017, before the next general elections in February 2018.
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