No More Border in Cyprus

The Greek and Turkish communities of Cyprus have been bitterly divided since 1974, when Turkish armies invaded the north in response to a Greek-engineered coup. Journalist Charlie Charalambous, of the Cyprus Weekly, says no one is quite sure what the Turkish Cypriot government of Rauf Denktash is up to.

"This is a surprise move – the Greek Cypriots are still trying to digest what this means . . . I think it means more to the Turkish Cypriots than the Greek Cypriots, because it seems that the move will allow free movement to Turkish Cypriots moving to the south, but it seems the other way round, Greek Cypriots will require a passport and some kind of official documentation, and they will need to have their papers stamped, which many would disagree with."

Unacceptable
The requirement of a passport is unacceptable to most Greek Cypriots, because they, like the international community, do not recognise the northern Turkish Cypriot region as a state. Charalambous says that in the past it has been the Turkish north that prevented its own people and the Greek Cypriots from moving through the partition.

This position may have changed because Turkish Cypriots feel increasingly isolated following Cyprus’ formal signing of the EU accession treaty last week.

"Now Cyprus has joined the European Union, that effectively means the Turkish Cypriots have been left out in the cold, because there’s been no settlement to division of the island."

Turk Cypriots are poorer in general than their southern neighbours, and Charalambous sees the border opening as a popular move.

"I think its something they’ve wanted for a long time – they have basically been in isolation for the last 30 years, because their state is only recognised by Turkey, and there’s been no movement of goods or people from the north to anywhere else, so I think it’s good for them."