Cyprus; Setting up For a Sunny Future. By Hannah Walker At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

It has been thirty-four years since Turkish troops invaded Cyprus, causing a physical division that runs right through the very capital and which has staunchly remained to the present day, despite the previously attempted peace talks. Considering their history, it seemed almost unimaginable that the two conflicting parties, the Turkish and Greek Cypriots, would ever make this much progress, however reunification talks begun again on the third of September and both sides are displaying much more positive attitudes.

President Demetris Christofias and his Turkish counterpart Mehmet Ali Talat have joined in some positive plans for the development of Cyprus once reunification is underway; they wish to rehabilitate areas within the UN buffer zone (a 300km stretch of deserted land, running along the border and through towns such as Nicosia and Famagusta) and prevent illegal dumping. They have drawn up a series of ‘confidence boosting measures’ with instructions to implement them immediately, to aid the peace process.

Previous reunification plans from 2004 began positively and were accepted by the Turkish Cypriots, whose authority on the land is only recognized by Cyprus. However the Greek Cypriots, encouraged by their former president Tassos Papadopoulos, rejected the plans. The new president, leader of the Greek Cypriot communist party Akel, Demetris Christofias, was elected in February of this year and has brought a more moderate ruling than that of dogmatic nationalist Papadopoulos, driving harder for a resolution. With the support of their new leader, working groups from both the north and south are addressing the more controversial issues such as the presence of 40,000 Turkish troops in the north which divide the communities, which has set the way for more positive results.

It was Christofias’ election to power in February this year that can be attributed to this breakthrough in reconciliation as there are now two moderately leftwing leaders, who genuinely share a real desire to unite the country, which they realise is just too small to remain divided. They are also clinging on to a dwindling sense of how the once united island was, and it is the threat that if the talks are not concluded now then they are unlikely to ever complete, that is spurring the sides on. And of course, Turkey is desperate to become a part of the EU finally and better relations with its neighbor Greece.

The positive glow of the peace talks extend to many aspects of the Cyprian economy. Most importantly the reunification promises unity of the two parts which in turn will lead to economic growth. An aspect which is already prospering is the Cyprian property market. Holiday resorts and apartments in both the north and the south have been growing dramatically in value over recent times. Despite the current global housing climate, the property prices are rising; new developments, marinas, shopping centers and golf courses are cropping up, holiday resorts have drafted in British sporting icons to head their projects, and certain areas are proving particularly popular with expats. House prices in the North are still lower than those in the south; a reunification will level these out, with Cyprus’ popularity growing, these peace talks mark the perfect time to invest in Cyprus.

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