Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cyprus Today
In the Republic of Cyprus, a new centre-right president has been elected and a bank-
ing crisis has attracted worldwide attention, leading to stringent austerity measures
that have been met with overall calm by these resilient people. Peace talks are on
course again and the discovery of oil and natural gas reserves are a real cause for op-
timism on both sides of the Green Line.
Peace Talks Gain Momentum
Since its division in 1974, talks to reunite Cyprus have taken place sporadically with little
success. Many had hoped Cyprus' EU membership would increase the chances of reunific-
ation but, sadly, it seemed to have only muddied the waters, with the larger EU nations
weighing in on the debate. Peace talks were revived in 2008, however, when the Republic's
president Demetris Christofias promised to work with the then Turkish Cypriot leader
Mehmet Ali Talat, generating over 100 meetings. Their attempts at camaraderie, aimed at
creating a 'climate of peace', began to worry officials on the Turkish mainland. The situ-
ation was quickly blunted when the pro-Turkish Dervis Eroglu came to power in 2010.
For the following few years there was the usual rhetoric regarding talks with UN mediat-
ors. However, in February 2014 it seemed a corner was turned when, for the first time in 55
years, talks took place in Athens and Ankara simultaneously by negotiators Kudret Özersay
for the Turkish Cypriots and Andreas Mavroyiannis for the Greek Cypriots. Then, in the
same month (and after close to a two-year hiatus), Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot lead-
ers issued a joint declaration outlining a peace plan to bring an end to the crisis. At the time
of writing, these peace talks were in their second phase with the Turkish Cypriot side pre-
dicting that a settlement could be reached within months, while the Greek Cypriots were
more cautious, professing that there remained a considerable distance between the two
sides.
Ties have also been strengthened with the US with a visit to both the Greek Cypriot and
Turkish Cypriot communities in May 2014 by Vice President Joe Biden who vouched US
support in providing assistance to resolving the island's 40-year old stalemate.
The EU & the Economy in the Republic
EU succession (2004) changed the landscape in the Republic of Cyprus in a variety of
areas. Fees and charges increased for prospective home- or landowners and the cost of wa-
ter and electricity concurrently skyrocketed. The price of food, local produce and the cost
of a cup of coffee also increased. There have also been considerable changes in demo-
graphics over the past decade with foreign workers from Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and
