Cyprus

Viola Drath

Project Director

As one of the last countries still divided, strategically important Cyprus cannot be ignored. Located at the crossroads of three continents, Europe, Asia, and Africa, the divided island forms a vital bridge between Europe and the Middle East. It is the object of contention between NATO powers Greece and Turkey, which vie with each other for dominance in the Aegean Sea, and Cyprus still accommodates a British presence in the form of two air bases. Moreover, since being invited to join the European Union (EU) in 2004, the Republic of Cyprus has played a critical part in the EU accession negotiations with Turkey.

The National Committee on American Foreign Policy’s interest and involvement in the Cyprus issue started with consultations with UN Ambassador Sotirios Zackheos and his press counselor, Maria Zoupaniotis, and resulted in an invitation for NCAFP board members to visit the Republic of Cyprus on a fact-finding mission in 1998. From that beginning, the National Committee on American Foreign Policy’s contribution to the reunification process has been the pursuit of “constructive parallelism.” Entitled “Cyprus Peace Initiative,” this concept was introduced by the NCAFP in January 2002 and presented to then-President Glafcos Clerides and then-negotiator Alvaro de Soto by its Cyprus coordinator in New York.

A dual-track approach between governmental and nongovernmental levels posits that progress on difficult core issues can be made, based on a vigorous, productive dialogue on soft issues. Key focus points include:

• work toward taking small steps in facilitating mutual confidence-building measures, leading to a rapprochement of the two communities;
• encourage reforms in line with EU rules and regulations;
• engage in talks about the demilitarization of the island;
• support the opening of more crossing points; and help the financially strangled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to over come its economic isolation by calling attention to the EU’s decision to pursue economic development.