Map of Cyprus with EU flag (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is an excellent article by Omer Aziz, published by Project Syndicate. It’s well worth a read. Check it out!

Cyprus: Still Hostage to History by Omer Aziz – Project Syndicate.

The article reminds the reader of the history of Cyprus, especially post WWII. Sadly, Cyprus has been a geopolitical pawn.

Personally, I agree with the article that the EU, the US, and the UN should be trying much harder to reconcile the two halves of Cyprus.

Economists argue that political reconcilation would add 3% to GDP for the combined Cyprus;  with current austerity measures prescribed by the troika of the EC, ECB and the IMF, this would make a huge difference to unemployment.

Also Cyprus will probably struggle to get its offshore gas and oil industry fully launched until title issues are reconciled with Turkey.

Finally, look at the map to the right with Cyprus having the EU flag; this is misleading because the Northern part of the island is still occupied by Turkey which is not a member of the EU.

Any thoughts?

Related articles

• Austerity and Demoralization by Robert J. Shiller – Project Syndicate
• Cyprus a Contender to Be Major Supplier of European Gas | Business | The Moscow Times
• Cyprus Check Points – John Aziz Kent’s Comments
• Cyprus problem not linked with economy or natural gas, says Government
• Cyprus – suspicious land deal – John Aziz Kent’s Comment
• 10 years of open checkpoints – John Aziz Kent’s Comment