Like the Berlin Wall, a Wall in Cyprus Falls After Over 30 Years
Sides Have Been at Odds, Making Overtures
Greece, which has been called a stabilizing EU influence in a trouble area, was involved in an attempted coup in the former British Crown Colony in 1974. Turkey intervened on the part of the minority Turkish Cypriot population, and the island has been divided ever since, becoming a source of continued tension between Greece and Turkey.
Turkey is under consideration for European Union membership, but a possible date for accession is still far off. Greece and Cyprus have already joined. The Turkish political situation is itself in flux, as Muslim influences have recently gained significantly in the government. The situation in Cyprus is subject to ongoing negotiations overseen by the UN, and strongly encouraged by the EU, which holds membership of the northern part of the island in suspension.
The wall, down a major shopping street, has been similar to the former Berlin Wall, in that it is a part of everyday life for residents of Nicosia. Although it is being removed, crossings in the city center, where the wall was located, are still not allowed.
Statements reported in the Toronto Star suggest that the move was an overture by the Greek Cypriot government towards friendlier relations. A footbridge on the Turkish side in 2005 caused a chilling of relations, but this move resulted in a comment by a member of the Turkish Cypriot President's office, who called the wall removal "historic" and said "it is a positive step."
The island has been divided for over three decades, separated by a buffer zone called "the Green Line" which is patrolled by UN peacekeepers. In 2004, Turkish Cypriots accepted a U.N. reunification plan which was rejected by Greek Cypriots. Each side has moved slowly towards the other, and EU and UN officials have been watching and waiting, welcoming each move towards reunification, including the current removal of the wall.
Remaining issues include a 40,000 strong Turkish Army presence in the north, which remains a stumbling block to improved relations. The Turkish Army had built a footbridge to allow patrols to pass in the center of town when a crossing opened in 2005, but the opening of the crossing was postponed as a result of the construction of the bridge.
Published by Dave Maddox
Dave is a man with his eyes open, always exploring and sharing. With undergraduate work in literature and classics at Harvard University, he has worked in the computer field to enable his travel and other ha... View profile
-
How the Berlin Wall Came Tumbling Down
No one who has come of age in the twenty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall can understand what it felt like to be alive on November 9th, 1989. To really understand, in the...
- The Berlin Wall: Where is it Now? The Berlin Wall has long ago been torn down, but pieces of the wall are on display at various locations around the wall.
-
Berlin U-Bahn and S-Bahn: Berlin Wall History
What problems did Berlin's U-Bahn (subway) and S-Bahn (light rail) experience when East German authorities constructed the Berlin Wall?
- The Fall of the Berlin Wall The fall of the Berlin Wall was the result of months of popular protest throughout Eastern Germany, and years of shifting relations within all of Eastern Europe.
- The Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall was a barrier that separated the former City of West Berlin from East Berlin as well as the rest of the German Democratic Republic.
- Turkish Army Enters Iraq
- Five Killed, 60 Wounded in Turkish Explosion
- Northern Cyprus
- Buying a Home in Cyprus: The Advantages and Disadvantages
- The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall-Twenty Years in the Making
- The Berlin Wall
- The 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall
|
|
- Shopping street in the middle of the city was divided by the wall
- The island of Cyprus has been divided into Turkish and Greek sections for over 30 years
1 Comments
Post a CommentI saw some European report about this via a Hong Kong TV station a while ago. Good to see it went through.