The ability of the Christodoulides government to put a positive spin on news related to the Cyprus issue is admirable. It has no such success with other news stories – the economy, government advisors, the president’s pension – but on the Cyprus issue it is firmly in control of the narrative, about the president’s tireless initiatives and efforts to get the process moving. These efforts have led nowhere but have earned plaudits from political parties and the media.
The ‘mutual understanding’ reached on Pyla and announced by the UN on Monday is a case in point. Although the Turkish side secured exactly what it had demanded – the construction of a road linking Pyla to the occupied village of Arsos – the government, which had stirred public opposition to the road even before the Turkish Cypriots clashed with Unficyp, turned the outcome into a triumph.
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told the CyBC on Tuesday morning that the government had “succeeded in turning a crisis into an opportunity.” An opportunity for what, he did not explain, as he pointed out that the ‘understanding’ ensured the buffer zone would remain under the control of Unficyp and the presence of Turkish soldiers there had been prevented. He also linked the understanding with President Christodoulides’ efforts to secure the resumption of talks.
Whether this is enough is questionable. The opportunity he spoke about seems to be business-related rather than political, an opportunity for developers to build holiday homes for people. The understanding opened the way for the creation of a residential area that would benefit all the people of area, the northward expansion of Pyla and the creation of photovoltaic parks, said Letymbiotis.
It is a confidence-building measure by default, as this was never the intention, but the government came up with it as a face-saving solution. Aware that it would not be able to stop the construction of the road, which it claimed would give a military advantage to the Turkish side, it came up with development plans that would neutralise it. Apparently, the building of houses and PV parks would act as a bulwark against military advances through the Pyla area.
In short, everyone will be happy with the new arrangement – the people of Pyla would see the value of their land rise, Turkish Cypriots will have the road that would cut travel time to the north and developers would feel that they are helping the country’s defence by building holiday homes. Whether the two sides will be able to agree on how the area will be developed and by whom is another matter. This may require more talks with the UN, but in principle there is an understanding on how to proceed and, as Letymbiotis said, this is an opportunity.
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