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“Do you need a miracle?”
This question is written in huge letters on the wall of the House of Glory Church in the middle Nicosiacapital of CyprusThe spiritual inquiry continues: “Do you need success in your life?”
The people of this beautiful Mediterranean island certainly do. For more than half a century, Cyprus Has been divided. Long after the Berlin Wall fell and the Iron Curtain rusted, the “Green Line” still separates the official Republic of Cyprus from the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in the south.
There is a mark on the heart of the capital patrolled by UN peacekeepers and lean cats. The House of Glory is on the Greek side, just a block away from the Cyprus version of Checkpoint Charlie: a border crossing in the middle of a European capital.
TRNC is populated by Turkish Cypriots and immigrants turkeyOccupies approximately one-third of the island – including major resorts and important archaeological sites. The boundary between the two is not porous.
A UN buffer zone, complete with watch towers and barbed wire, keeps the two sides apart – as does the North’s apparent lack of appetite for a political solution. For the past seven years, there has been no meaningful dialogue about a solution that works for both the Greek and Turkish communities.
At the edge of the buffer zone, a faded banner urges passersby: “Remember Cyprus. A map of the island shows illegally occupied territory soaked in blood. Since the Turkish invasion in 1974, two generations have grown up with the grief of loss and separation.
However, something dramatic happened this week: a pro-unification liberal was elected president of the TRNC. Tufan Erhurman won a landslide victory on the promise of negotiations on a joint federation. He easily defeated incumbent Ersin Tatar – who is associated with the right-wing nationalist Erdogan regime in Türkiye.
“It’s good news, so let’s see,” says a woman working in the cultural sector in Larnaca – now the main gateway to Cyprus. (Like many people I spoke to, she preferred to remain anonymous.) “It requires cooperation on both sides.”
Unfortunately, a third party – the Turkish government – has an unhealthy interest in the island.
Some in the government in Ankara want “their” illegally occupied part of the island to be annexed by Türkiye. Realistically they would agree on a two-state solution. While this may be appropriate in the Israel-Palestine context, it would be completely unacceptable to the Cypriot government and the EU. Only one country recognizes the TRNC: no surprise, Türkiye.
Reunification of Europe’s last divided nation seems to be the humanitarian challenge the rest of the continent has forgotten. It is extremely important to allow families to heal from the trauma of separation.
Healing the wound will also be transformative for the travel industry. Cyprus packages are quite popular among holidaymakers: they land at Larnaca and Paphos airports and head for the sandy beaches and warm sun along the southern coast of the island. In just two hours between 8pm and 10pm on Wednesday evening, 11 leisure flights from airports across the UK landed in Larnaca.
The unification will allow frozen hotels and beaches in the buffer zone to reopen. The attractiveness of the island will significantly increase for a wider range of travellers.
Adventure companies are likely to arrive, opening up the relatively undiscovered interior of the north for hiking and cycling. Cultural tourism can more easily discover the vast archaeological wealth on both sides of the existing border. Backpackers will be able to legally take a ferry from southern Turkey to the ancient port of Kyrenia and explore the entire island without using an illegal port of entry.
As Berlin has shown since reunification, Nicosia can become a lighthouse city without barbed wire and hostility. The capital’s airport can once again return to its rightful place as a major hub for the Eastern Mediterranean, offering connections between Western Europe and the Middle East.
The creation of a federal state where the rights of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots would be respected would have clear dividends for both sides. But Politics This is a different thing.
The Ledra Palace Frontier is one of the few crossing points along the Green Line. It is named for the hotel that has not welcomed a proper guest – unlike housing the United Nations – for five decades. You cross it on a long and nerve-wracking walk through no man’s land under the watch of peacekeeping soldiers.
As I check out the official republic, I ask the border official about the possibility of change. He shakes his head. “Türkiye is in charge.” Pointing to his counterparts a few hundred yards away, he says: “They do as they’re told.”
While one side of the border is a full-paid member of the EU and the other an illegal breakaway republic, life in the north is a mirror image. As the autumn sunlight hits the trees, groups of men sit on stools outside the café: drinking the same thick, dark coffee, talking and smoking, while showing no great hurry to get to work.
“It’s really beautiful on this side, too,” says Adele, who is actually working — in the first sweet shop that visitors encounter after passing through the Greek and Turkish red tape at the other Nicosia checkpoint, Ledra Street. As I approach, she is cutting baklava for the hordes of tourists arriving at the end of the day.
But the other side of the border is much more prosperous. “We want the whole island to be one Cyprus because the Greek side is better.” Adel estimates that integration will take five years.
The phrase he uses – “united freedom” – is echoed in the occupied North. Nearby, the Hoi Polloi pub has a poster calling for a “United Federal Cyprus”.
Everyone I talk to believes that any agreement reached by the newly elected president must be signed off on by Ankara. The obstacles are huge. What will happen to the properties seized after partition? What awaits people who have relocated from Türkiye to the islands over the decades? The red lines demanded by the Republic could thwart any attempt to erase the green line.
Every tourism professional I talk to remains disappointed. “The President, the Prime Minister,” she laments. “In the beginning they thought they could make a change, but in the end they couldn’t. That’s why we’ve been in this situation for 51 years.”
Later, spoke to a cultural worker in Larnaca. I refer to the 2030 target that I heard about from Adele in the answer.
“It would be great, but I’m not so optimistic,” she sighs. “I guess we’re a little stubborn.”
Perhaps the House of Glory Church next to the buffer zone in Nicosia could be obliged by that miracle.
Meanwhile, I’m encouraged by a green T-shirt worn by a local on the north side of the border with the message: “Better than yesterday, but not as good as yesterday.”
travel essentials
getting there
Larnaca and Paphos are served by dozens of flights from the UK, including British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Tui and Wizz Air.
Erkan Airport in the TRNC can only be accessed from Turkish airports and is considered an illegal port of entry – as is the sea crossing from Turkey to Kyrenia. The Foreign Office warns: “You may be fined for illegal entry; refused entry or exit from the Republic of Cyprus; prevented from returning to the north of Cyprus.” None of these are good results.
stay there
I stayed at the excellent ResArt Hotel in Nicosia, €70 (£60) single.
getting around
The Republic has an affordable and reliable network of buses. In TRNC, the main form of public transport is dolmus (shared minibuses). They generally do not follow a timetable.
red ribbon
Cyprus is in the European Union but outside the Schengen area. As a result, staying on the island does not contribute to the “90/180 day” limit. Nor is the entry-exit system operational.
Authorities controlling crossing points in the south enforce strict rules on luggage, including limits of one liter of spirits and 40 cigarettes per person.