Why the EU Wants to Restart Cyprus Negotiations 

The history context of the video has a lot of mistakes guys, make better research. The Island was never half-half in culture before the division. The Island was Greek Cypriot Majorioty with big Turkish minorities living scattered in regions. The Enosis was about the whole of Cυprus ot be joined with Greece, not just the Greek Cypriot parts (which did not exist back then, the whole Island was one and the same).

me, living just 250 meters from the green line, i can assure anyone that no solution is coming in the near future

This has to be the worst content made on Cyprus dispute ever - going so far as showing the island divided by a UN green zone before Turkish intervention and completely skipping "guarantorship rights" agreed by UK, Greece and Turkey, as well completely omitting EOKA B and its coup taking down Makarios and installing a military leader as a military dictator for implementing unification with Greece (which prompted the intervention in the first place). There are so many mistakes and omissions that this guy actually succeeded in uniting Turks and Greeks in the comment section against his video.

As Barbs from geography now once said about cyprus: "One country, two sides, three exclaves, four people groups and a lot of confusing lines that can give even the most seasoned Uber Driver a level 5 seazure".

Let's be realistic there no way Cyprus would be reunited under the current status quo.

Some mistakes that I found: 2:38 not the Greek-Cypriot part, the entire island (the island wasn't divided back then). 3:16 again, the island wasn't divided into the Turkish and Greek parts, as you show on the map, the Greeks and Turkish were basically living together with some parts being majority Greek or Turkish. After the invasion of the north by turkey, a population exchange took place, with the Greeks living in the northern occupied part moving to the south and vice versa. 3:40 the green line was established after the invasion. Basically, in the "Context" part of the video, there are some chronological and map mistakes. Also, you butchered the surname of the current president, but that's no big deal.

I'll try to add some context there and why things are even more complicated. - EOKA means National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters, and while their primary goal was Enosis, the agreement that was made in 1960, was about an independent Cyprus, with a constitution that accounted for both GC and TC, placing Greece, UK and Turkey as guarantor nations of Cyprus - I am not fully aware of the context of Taksim tbh, but it being made as a response to Enosis sounds reasonable - It did probably become stronger as a result of EOKA B (literally the second EOKA), a Nationalistic organisation sponsored by the military government in Greece after Cyprus became independent. They were the main causes of the 1974 coup, which resulted in the deposition of the president at the time, and the subsequent invasion by Turkey. - There is a lot of geopolitics that could be added in this, involvement by the US/UK/Greece/Turkey, but let's focus on the current issue. Can the EU help? - Yes absolutely, but the geopolitics of the region have not become easier and it would require the EU to unite against Turkey which is not something the council has been willing to do Why should the EU help? - The gas fields is probably one reason, although it is very much uncertain gains at this stage - When Cyprus joined the EU there was the expectation that the deal at that moment (Annan Plan 2004) would come through reuniting the island - As it is, Cypriot politicians are using the Cyprus problem to avoid any actual accountability on the current issues in Cyprus (inept judicial, outdated laws, inflexible economy etc) Why has it not happened? - There are internal reasons, the nationalistic sentiment is still strong as it happens after a conflict and when the actual issues are not tackled - Trust between the communities has not been rebuild - In general it is a cold conflict with limited advantages to the big players if it evolves - In 1974, after the invasion, Turkey has migrated a large population of Turks to the North of the island diluting the Turkish Cypriot voices Will it happen? - There are the people that retain hope it will, and people that don't, but no one really knows. There are a lot of bigger fish to fry, but the geopolitics in the area are actually making the big players move. EDIT: Edited some parts of the comment according to some feedback on the replies (even the rude ones)

I'm amazed that Cyprus was allowed to join the EU in 2004 given this crisis had been ongoing for 30 years. Usually the EU doesn't like to inherit border disputes/internal crises.

Cyprus is really underrated, we need more videos about them

Interesting how you omitted so much about 1974 and glossed over it by just referencing the illegal Turkish invasion. The Greece's failure in Cyprus caused the military junta to collapse, it had a big effect on a wide scope of issues

Given the political realities of Turkey today, the EU working to create a solution to the situation on Cypress is just simply a fantasy.

Big sad they didn't mention the Roman Empire controlling Cyprus

Now I'm not taking sides or anything, but didn't Greece have military dictatorship in the 1960s and made it quite public that they had intentions of annexing Cyprus. Turkey preemptive attacked.

There's no chance while EU and Turkey are antagonising each other over differing stances on Israel-Palestine

Mistakes in the video and key points not mentioned: (There is a great video on Cyprus that I highly recommend watching by James Ker-Lindsay titled: Cyprus | What Do You Want to Know?) 0:15 He said the name right "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" but in the writing he is instead using "Turkish Republic of Cyprus". Seems insignificant but this could imply that the Turkish part is claiming the entire island which is simply not the case. 0:33 "The dispute has been stuck in deadlock since 1974 and Turkey still insists on what it describes on a two state solution". Again, this implies that Turkey always regarded the two state solution as the only acceptable solution since 1974, which is incorrect. In the talks of 2004, 2014, and 2021 Turkey was supportive of the idea of a united Cyprus, and this new hard stance on the two state solution came after the 2021 UN peace talks failed which were for a united Cyprus based on a bi-zonal federation. This convinced the Turkish government and the Turkish Cypriots that the Greek Cypriots hard stance on the issue will never change and this was when the Turkish Cypriots elected a hardliner president who campaigned for a two state solution instead of the federal one. 3:38 The UN initial deployment to the island before 1974 was not at all like the one shown in the image which only had its current shape after 1974. The original deployment focused on districts all across the island as both Turkish and Greek Cypriots lived all over the island rather than the current clear delineation that separates the two communities. 3:47 Not sure why you didn't mention that before the Turkish attack there was a Greek coup on the island that openly stated that its objective was the unification with Greece, and that along with increased violence on the Turkish Cypriots was the reason for the Turkish intervention. It's also worth noting that the international community was at first sympathetic with the Turks, but that changed once it became clear that the Turkish Army wasn't leaving. 4:46 You forgot to mention regarding the Annan plan that the majority of Turkish Cypriots voted for it while the majority of Greek Cypriots voted against it. 6:40 "Only a few years ago, Turkey-Israel relation was on the up" No they weren't. Only last year they began to improve, so Erdogan's shift now isn't considered that dramatic since the warming of relations was barely established and only recently.

You forgot to mention the demographic elephant in the room: The settlers. In the occupied zone, the settler population is currently believed to outnumber the locals. This is quite significant for an EU member state. The settlers and their children are NOT Cypriots. They are ineligible for Cypriot citizenship (and hence EU citizenship), because their presence on the island is a violation of the Geneva Convention. Only the pre-occupation population and their direct descendants are eligible for Cypriot (and EU) citizenship. The rest are foreigners. Having a fake citizenship in the puppet state created by Turkey in the occupied zone is completely null and void, neither the UN nor the EU recognizes such fake citizenships. Anyone wishing to obtain citizenship in Cyprus will need to apply in the normal way, like in any other country.

Cyprus doesn’t belong to Greece, it doesn’t belong to Turkey, it belongs the Cypriot people themselves.

There was already a referendum for reunification. The Turks voted in favour but the Greeks (!) voted against it. They simply don't want to live with Turks in one country - which is quite understandable.

I wonder why no one ever takes to the street singing from the sea to the sea Cyprus will be free 🤔

I was just in Cyprus a few weeks ago and stayed on the south side. However, I did cross over into the north and rented a car for an entire day. Honestly, both sides are extremely different from each other. Northern Cyprus functions essentially not as a defacto independent country but more as a part of Turkey, in my view. The only real difference is that northern Cyprus drives on the left (with right side steering wheel), and the power outlets are like those in Britain. Out of curiosity, I did ask people on both sides if they favored reunification and they mostly said yes, but didn't think it was even possible anymore. Both sides have awesome tourist attractions and great potential, but the island is indeed a strange geopolitical anomaly.

I still remember that Britain, the 'guarantor' of Cyprus' border...did absolutely nothing in 1974.

Why is Turkey still part of NATO?

There is a BIG problem that this video does not mention much : Turkey has moved many people from mainland-Turkey to northern Cyprus ! Today almost 50% of the population of "north Cyprus" are NOT of Cypriot origin ! They are religious Muslims that migrated from villages in mainland - Turkey and integrating them into Cyprus will not be easy

I’m a British soldier currently deployed to Cyprus as part of the UN Peacekeeping force monitoring the buffer zone. The people of both communities are friendly and those I’ve met have no ill feelings to those on both sides. One day when I was on break at a cafe I was approached by an elderly Greek Cypriot lad. He told me he was a police commander back in 1963. He said he thanks the British Army and UN Peacekeepers but we shouldn’t be here, rather the burden should lay with Greek Cypriot forces alone. I didn’t wish to challenge him on that matter. Instead we discussed the weather and ancient Cypriot history. He told me he loves the people of the north, he just hates it’s government and Istanbul. I hope the island remains at peace. I hope we’re doing a good job. We’re also working alongside Argentinians, Russians, Slovakians, Slovenians, as-well as Irish police officers.

I'm going to Cyprus in March. Let's see what I can figure out!

Why would Europe 'never be complete with a divided Cyprus', when Cyprus is in Asia? The European parliament needs to go back to school to learn some geography.

Appeasement of autocrats is a bad idea. Case and point Russia.

Wow, you ignored 2 extremely important key information here: 04:48 - "Annan Plan fails". Wonder, why? Greek community voted NO, while Turkish community voted YES for reunification. In fact, the Greek community doesn't have any reason to nagotioate and come up with a solution. They are already in the EU and have the full support of EU und UN. Why would they compromise? They just want Turkish community to leave or accept their terms. That is why there is a significant Turkish military force on the island up to this day. It is the only way for Turkey to protect it's community. 03:57 - "Illegal Invasion". Cyprus gained independence from the UK in 1960 with London-Zurich agreements.Those agreements gave Turkey, Greece and UK guarantorship status and right to intervene, if violance in the island accurs. Which is happened as you mentioned. Then, Turkey intervened to protect the Turkish community from violance, using its right from the 1960 London-Zurich agreements.

One of the reason that Turkey's application to join the EU was terminated.

It is funny how West wants to unite Cyprus and they opposed Turkish invasion back in the day and unilateral declaring independence and they support all of that in Kosovo case.

Cool video. Though a couple more informative graphics might be neat

One major issue is that Northern Cyprus would have to both introduce tough EU rules for Turkish citizens moving there and then actually enforce those rules. Otherwise, the most obvious thing that will happen is that any Turk that wants to immigrate to the EU will be able to do so through Cyprus, it will be de facto admitting Turkey into Schengen.

I really highly doubt it will happen

Considering that any settlement of the issue will involfe the turkish president, it certanly wont help that he is regarded a mafia boss presenting himselfe as a politian. I remain with deep concern that the question of the island will not be solved with the current personal at the table.

This is really bad, guys.

There were pre-Alexandrian Greek colonies on Cyprus

hey team, you got your timestamps wrong, its ground news not brilliant

Thank you for this video summaring up the situation in Cyprus ! I was thinking that Volt Cyprus was established on both sides of the island, do you think this could be gamechanging in the near future ?

You guys labeled the end Brilliant in the scrubber even though its an ad for Ground News

First question: What about the British areas on Cyprus ?? Second question: The Treaty of Guarantee is a treaty between Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, and the UK that was promulgated in 1960 for the constitution/independence of Cyprus. Two of these non-EU countries (UK and Turkey) have impacts/rights on an EU member Cyprus. Solution in terms of what??

you forgot to mention the civil tensions cause: the military dicta in Greece. Sero objectivity in this video.

Ive lived here as a Brit for 6 years and there is no way it will ever be unified, the political will of Turkey and Greece will see to that as neither are willing to give an inch.

Purely on technical level (assuming good will). Cyprus could form a Federal State, with two current countries operating independently, but with shared international representation. But unfortunately there is more going one then that.

“Don’t worry I can fix him” The guy in question:

As a Cypriot, I will say the Cyprus problem is far from being solved and is the worst condition in the last 20 years. I am sure that the EU regrets allowing Cyprus to join. Also, the biggest factor that results for not solution to the problem is that no one except native Cypriots benefits from the solution of Cyprus problem. Russia investing both in ROC and in the occupied area to be able to keep both nato member countries in conflict (Greece and Turkey), USA want to be neutral as benefit by roling the sea of Cyprus (now for plastine war) also to not be in conflict with turkey especially now with Ukraine war and Uk also do not want a solution as it has what they want their two base areas in Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot leader is a puppet of Erdogan and does not agree to join any negotiation if ROC does not accept their self-claimed country. The turkish Cypriot leader was voted by the settlers, not from native Turkish speaking Cyprus. Which Turkish Cypriot are powerless and can not do anything. The only way in which Cyprus's problem will be solved is if there is an economic collapse of Turkey's economy and cannot support the illegal state anymore. Highly unlikely to happen. In addition, if someone mention Annan plan and any other plan there was no plan in which Cyprus would be truly independent from Turkey which is not negotiable.

I find this a little bit biased. You missed some very important details like: 1. Turkish intervention in 1974 didn't happen out of nowhere, it was a response to a coup against Cypriot government by EOKA, supported by Greek junta. 2. In 2004 Annan Plan did not collapse by itself, it is rejected by Greek Cypriots while accepted by Turkish Cypriots and Turkey.

Cyprus conflict. Who's to blame? British colonialism. Palestine-Israel? British colonialism. Guyana-Venezuela? British colonialism. Then... ?

Hello, your chapter for the sponsor is listed as Brilliant rather than Ground News.

When I visited, it seemed to me most of the *actual citizens* who lived there would rather have a united Cyprus. Erdogan is unpredictable and concerning, they'd rather have EU money support and tourism. They want to get on with living not be turkey's personal playing card politically.

FREE NORTH CYPRUS

At 2:23 why is George V shown there (as far as I've recognized), who only ruled from 1910, shouldn't it be Queen Victoria (1837-1901)?

Seems hard to see how reunification could happen. This is a more extreme version of Ireland, rather than like Germany. The people who live in the south and the north have essentially no common ground that can form the basis for nation building.

Hey folks, you copied the description from your previous video. Might wanna change that.

You made a mistake. It was EOKA B, not EOKA.

Can anyone tell me why the Annan plan was rejected on the Greek side but supported on the Turkish side and broadly what the deal entailed?

"I can fix him"

In addition to the other comments, another useful suggestion would be to display the ethnic map of Cyprus at the time would be helpful too, the sheer scale of displacement of turks and greeks when there became a north-south divide is extraordinary.

You conveniently left out why the 1974 Turkish invasion and partition happened. In 1974, there was a Greek Cypriot military coup backed by Greece with their explicit aim being to merge with Greece proper. Since the early 1960s, Greek Cypriot ethnic violence against Turkish Cypriots forced most of the Turks in central and southern Cyprus to flee to and concentrate in the north. Turkey was done playing games and finally invaded. It's entirely possible that the Turkish Cypriot population would have been genocided if the Greek ethnonationalist coup and merger was allowed to go through. Following the 1974 partition, communal violence ceased and there hasn't been any violence ever since. Greek Cypriots held a referendum in 2004 and voted against unification. The EU and South Cyprus governments have been desperately trying to keep tensions alive when really this is one of the most successful examples of conflict de-escalation, military intervention and partition in history. Furthermore, saying Europe will never be complete without Cyprus is also absurd, seeing how Cyprus is not in Europe but in the Levantine Sea. It's closer to Syria and Lebanon than to Greece. It's located near Eastern Anatolia. If Cyprus is Europe then all of western and central Anatolia is Europe.

It is honestly baffling that you have managed to not bring up the Treaty of Guarantees or the Greek Junta once in a video about the division of Cyprus. I don't know if it's ignorance or malicious ommision, but it's still not a good look for your credibilty as a neutral and independent media source The treaty basically put the UK, Greece and Turkey in charge of guaranteeing the independence of Cyprus. When the Greek junta staged a coup in Cyprus and propped up a puppet regime to unite with Greece, that was a breach of the aforementioned treaty. The initial Turkish invasion of the island was legal and both the UK and the US initially asked Turkey to invade Cyprus to enforce the treaty, and it only became illegal when Turkey continued their invasion when the government of Cyprus stalled in peace negotiations and split the island in two. Your framing removes any and all nuance and historical context from the event to just say "Turkey (apparently randomly decided to) illegally invade[d] the island"

At 3.46, you skipped the reason Turkey invaded in 1974 other than to call it illegal. It is key factor and obstacle in reuniting the island. In short, the Greek majority had different values to the Turkish minority, so Turkey intervened. The Greek Cypriots seek only to reunite the land whereas Turkey seeks to protect the Turkish Cypriots.

Yo! Your sponsor segment is named wrong. You were sponsored by Ground news, not Brilliant.

Cyprus's EU membership is a breach of international law since the founding agreement of the state prohibits Cyprus from joining any international organization of which both Türkiye and Greece are not members

Surely EU just don’t let turkey join till they give back Cyprus

As someone who is currently in Cyprus, this video is quite interesting. I've met many locals, and the grief of the 1974 Turkish occupation of the island is very much present within the Greek community. Just this morning I was on the Turkish side of Nicosia and it is very sad to see the state of the streets and houses (desolate and many abandoned houses). The Turkish people don't hate the Greeks and vice versa. Politicians have always been and are the problem and the hated people here. In my opinion, the division today is too stark for unification, and as great as the unification would be for the island, people and the prosperity and local economies, I don't see it very likely. But I'd love to be wrong on this one...

Every Euro politician must whisper "FFS Turkey" every day

Btw Pakistan and Bangladesh had declared they recognize TRNC but USA threatened them. So they withdrawed their recognition.

they should unify and look to belgium for guidance. wait...

Not that I'm a big fan of the current Turkish government, or the president (which is basically the same thing), you kind of gloss over the 2004 referendum, where 65% of the Turks voted for unification while 75% of the Greeks voted against. Try to have a more impartial stance on historical and deep issues like Cyprus please.

0:20 Isn't this map misleading? You seem to be implying that the Republic of Cyprus is also claiming the British territory on the island which I don't think is the case.

You got it wrong the demilitarized zone was created after the Turkish invasion.

Turks invaded 40% of the island, not less, while ethnic Turks only comprised 17% of the population. Very important point.

3:45 Yeah, and what happened before that, particularly on 15th July 1974? And also if the EU was consistent on a peace plan, they would support lifting sanctions on Turkish Cypriots like they promised in 2004, but they didn't because they allowed RoC to join before the dispute was ever solved.

Another region scarred by a history of British interference Speaking of Northern Ireland and Israel!

Missed a small detail of the massacres commited against thebTurkish minority from 1964 and 1974. These folks almost act like Turkey woke up one day and invaded illegally. Turkey is one the three guarantor states. Missed these small details. Intern got lazy in research?

You forgot to explain why Turkey invaded...interesting omission 🤔

Didn't really tell why Turkey invaded in '70s

I was assuming this was going to be about the recent leaks regarding Cyprus facilitating money laundering, tax evasion, and sanctions dodging. Was that related to one particular side of the island, or is the whole place corrupt?

While a reuniting certainly seems impossible, something like open borders, and free trade can certainly be brokered

Resolving the issue to a point of unification could prove VERY profitable to Erdogan. And let's be real, Erdogan is easily bought.

the only chance I can think of is if Turkey was desperate for cash~

A big problem is that the war of 1955-59 was made so that Cyprus is part of Greece and not its own country. When Cyprus was declared a sovereign nation in 1960 people felt betrayed and really did not like it at all cause they fought for Greece and not for the "Republic of Cyprus". As of now if you ask a right wing minded person in the south they will answer that they are Greek-Cypriots while if you ask a left wing minded person he will answer Cypriot.

bruh many important details were cut/ not givin

It is really disappointing that you haven't mentioned the Nikos Samson coup which gave the reason for Turkey to invade the island.

No the Greek ethnic cyprus root is way older than Alexander the great Empire you need more search

This island is a microcosm for what would happen if Europe permitted sizeable populations of Middle Eastern migrants. Clash of cultures.

In one simple sentence, it's the British Empire's fault. Infact, ALMOST ALL of current border disputes happen on former British colonies.

I have always wondered how a federal republic system (the same system in my country Switzerland) would work in Cyprus. The island can be broken down to various “cantons” with increased autonomy in internal matters (education, culture, taxation, domestic institutions, etc.). This means there would be Turkish and Greek Cypriot cantons with their own administrations. The separation of cantons would ensure that the Greek Cypriot-Turkish Cypriot spheres of influence remain neutralized and they can administer themselves for domestic matters. There would be a language line similar to the Röstigraben in Switzerland but free movement of people across the country similarly. The constitution should protect the legitimacy of Turkish and Greek on the island, both being recognized national languages and official government languages in the institutions, offices and parliament throughout the country. Schools should teach both languages, with the first language being determined by the nature of the cantons. For federal and external matters (economy, millitary, foreign policy, migration, etc.), a parliament with certain allocation of seats per canton can take decisions. Furthermore, perhaps there can be a rotating presidential system from the members of a high cabinet, with Turkish and Greek leadership on an annual basis. I might even suggest a semi-direct democracy system but that might be too much or not applicable for Cyprus 😅. I think another important point is freedom of movement in Cyprus from both Greece and Turkey. Greece is already a part of the Schengen area but I think for Turkey to even consider such a compromise, their citizens need to be granted visa-free entry. Otherwise they are going to keep insisting on a two-state solution to ensure their presence in the island and it will be a political spiral reaching nowhere. British bases can remain for a while but I think Cypriots should present a united front eventually and demand their leave for total reunification of the island (maybe NATO can take over but I’m not gonna dwell on this without sufficient knowledge). A united front in Cyprus will benefit the island nation, Turkey and Greece economically, politically and socially. In time, Turkey and Greece will become what France and Italy is to Switzerland (common languages but totally separate otherwise, maintaining their good relations). I think this solution could be a compromise between the wishes of Turkey/TRNC and Greece/Greek Cyprus (sort of like a Pareto efficient outcome for those familiar with the notions of microeconomics). Of course, the priority should be the wishes of Turkish and Greek Cypriots, but let’s be realistic: nothing concrete will take place without both Greece and Turkey reaching a consensus. This is just my opinion though and I’m not an expert on the matter so I acknowledge that I might be overlooking something. I am in no way asserting this is “the way” but I thought I would just throw it out there with all good intentions. Thanks and peace!

The Cyprus problem, according to all UN resolutions, is a problem of illegal invasion and occupation and war crimes such as mass graves, rapes, ethnic cleansing, and illegal settlement of Turks from Turkey living in Greek-Cypriot properties. And here we are, 50 years after the invasion, discussing as if the problem is between the two communities. People from both sides have been travelling in the south and north respectively since 2004 without a single incident of ethnic violence. Vast majority of people want to reunite. And those who don't its because they are just scared, due to propaganda. Then its our useless politicians from both sides, who just won't give up on power, in both sides. The only real obstacle however, in solving the Cyprus problem, is TURKEY. Nobody else. They were the guarantors of the Cyprus Republic, and they did exactly the opposite: dismantled it, broke it, divided it and ethnically cleansed it in two ethnically pure sides, for the first time ever in Cyprus' long history of Christians and Muslim peaceful coexistence. . They just won't give up on what they illegally got by war back in 1974. And just like any regional power state like Turkey is, always gets away with it.

You named the "ground" section "brilliant"

A quite simplistic report on why Cyprus is divided!

I don't see it happening anymore. They had a chance 20 years ago but it is done now. What do they want to do? The Turkish "colonists" lived there for 50 years, they had kids who had kids themselves who will always call this lands theirs, rightly so since that's the only land they ever knew. You can't punish someone for the actions of their grandparents. It's too late for a united Cyprus as the Turks won't accept any Greek Cypriote authority and vice versa. A 2 states solution is the only peaceful solution at the moment, no matter how illegal the annexion was (and it was). I don't even think a Bosnian like solution would work at this stage (and to be fair, it doesn't even work in B&H anyway). Offer a 2 States solution with adhesion to the EU to the Turkish part to suppress borders and maybe in 20 years they might reconsider. Pragmatism is the only way here if we want to avoid another conflict.

yes indeed two-state solutions have historically worked very well 🙃

The closest Cyprus had to reunification in recent years was the Annan Plan.

Turkey relinquished the land in 1920s... it's not theirs

But what do the actual citizens of the two regions want? That should be all that matters.

Cyprus as it is right now managed to get into the EU without settling with the Turks how they will reunify the island. Obviously the Turks wanted too many things the Cypriots didnt want to give. Like allowing their armies to stay in Cyprus, giving Turkey part of their natural resources, and giving massive leverage/power to Turkey over the island as a whole. That is why the Anan UN plan to re-unify the island failed, it was a deal that favored the Turks. Anyway now Cyprus is in the EU, legally it owns the entire island, therefore legaly even the Turks in the northern part could be considered EU citizens but are not. In extension to that, because Cyprus legally owns the entire island, it claims the entirety of Cyprus' EEZ, which is agravating Turkey because they want a hand on the resources contained in the EEZ ASAP. That is why they want a solution, and if not they threaten they will annex the northern part of the island. Turkey right now is occupying, colonizing and threatening EU territory.

This sounds very similar to Ireland

Francis Urquhart would like a word.

2:43 small mistake on your part. Enosis was about uniting the entirety of Cyprus with Greece not just a « Greek Cypriot part of Cyprus » as you said. Prior to 1974, there was no Greek Cypriot or Turkish Cypriot parts and the Turkish minority was scattered throughout the island. Today’s ethnic lines are the result of the exodus created by the 1974 invasion (which seems rather obvious), a dislocation which our parents and grandparents have lived through. The assumption that prior to 1974 the north was Turkish and the south was Greek is anachronistic, and frankly ignorant.

If Northern Cyprus is economically dependent on Turkey they a fast route to a solution would be for the EU to use its economic might to essentially buy their loyalty.