Professor Aydın says Cyprus issue set to sail through troubled waters

Πηγή: Todays Zaman

24 July 2011, Sunday / YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN, İSTANBUL

Mustafa Aydın, a professor of international relations, says the Cyprus problem will not be solved until and unless the Greek Cypriot understanding of the situation changes, and the situation shows that the two sides on the divided island are moving “fast” toward separation.

“They [the Greek Cypriots] see the situation as a minority-majority problem on the island and an occupation by Turkey. As long as they see it that way, the only possible solution is ending the ‘occupation’ and giving the Turks minority rights in a Greek majority state,” Aydın said for Monday Talk. “No consensual, cooperative and peaceful solution will be possible until this stance of the Greek Cypriots changes. But there are other ‘solutions.’ I’m afraid we’re moving rather fast toward separation.”

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made his first visit abroad as prime minister of the 61st government of Turkey to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) last week. Erdoğan reiterated the possibility of freezing relations by saying that Turkey did not recognize the Greek Cypriots on diplomatic grounds, as the prime minister urged the 27-member European Union toward a solution on the island before the Greek Cypriot presidency starts in the middle of next year.

Since Erdoğan changed Turkey’s stance on the issue by taking a step back from the Annan plan that it had once agreed to, which called for the withdrawal of troops and returning some parts of the island, Turkish officials firmly ruled out interpretations that Ankara has reverted to its previous discourse on the subject. They clarified that Turkey still continues to support the UN-led process for reunification.

Answering our questions, Aydın elaborated on the issue. We also asked him to interpret developments in the Middle East in relation to Turkish foreign policy.

Do you think Turkey’s foreign policy of “zero problems with neighbors” has been damaged or failed because of what’s been happening in the Arab world as some observers suggest?

It’s too early to say whether it is damaged or has failed. Let’s first talk about what “zero problems with neighbors” means. It doesn’t exactly mean “zero problems with neighbors.” It is an ideal circumstance, and every state would like to achieve this ideal. It’s like the ideal that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk put forward in the 1920s when he said “Peace at home, peace in the world.” You make it a long-term goal and strive to reach it. What “zero problems with neighbors” actually means is that Turkey will try to solve old conflicts and won’t create new problems. This is the first point.

You have other points to add on this issue.