We must take advantage of our EU membership in solving the Cyprus problem

By Lakis Zavallis

The Eastern Mediterranean Think Tank is made up of ordinary civil society members who all have one thing in common: they care deeply about the future of their country. We observe with growing concern the impasse that the Cyprus issue has been led into and we recognise the dangers it poses. We believe that the current state of affairs is not sustainable and should not be allowed to continue.

These concerns led us to prepare a proposal which we called A Comprehensive Set of Ideas for Reaching an Agreement on Resolving the Cyprus Problem. Within the framework of a federal state it strives to provide the answers to concerns about the future shared by both communities ranging from security, the economy, territorial issues and governance and so on.

What we would like to stress is that on most points we have not had to be in the least creative. On the contrary, our proposals are based on various convergences reached between the political leaders of both communities during almost half a century of the various rounds of UN sponsored talks that sadly, sometimes at the final hurdle, failed to reach a final agreement.

However, there is something to which we attach particular importance. This is the role of the European Union, for which we seek a particularly enhanced role, perhaps on a scale that does not exist for other member states. This is something that will surely strengthen the feeling of security among the population. Furthermore, we support the active involvement of the European Commission in the resolution of disputes that may arise.

Our country is fortunate to be a full member of the EU yet the advantages of this status may not be fully understood by some of our compatriots any more than our passage, slowly but surely, towards a Federated Europe. Already the vast majority of our laws are enacted at the pan-European level even before being incorporated into our national legislation.

We are also encouraged by the continued interest shown by the EU and the United Nations, and their willingness to actively contribute to the process of reaching an agreement between all parties.

A comprehensive solution and a peaceful, united Cyprus can guarantee the safety and well-being of all its residents. In this endeavour, the role of the media is pivotal. We must promote the advantages of reunification and the adoption of the European mode of operation, the cultivation of a climate of cooperation among all communities and the promotion of those elements that bind us to our common homeland. If not for the sake of our own future, at least for that of our children. Our own generation has suffered enough with Cyprus paying – as indeed it continues to pay – a heavy price. Let us not have to pay any more.

Lakis Zavallis is a member of the Eastern Mediterranean Think Tank.  He is a lawyer by training, a retired business man and an active environmentalist.