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Heinz-Jürgen Axt

Abstract

Since September 2008 the leaders of both ethnic groups in Cyprus have been looking for a solution for the island’s long-standing conflict. Anyone wishing to evaluate the chances of this new initiative must recall the experience of the failed unification and reconciliation plan of Kofi Annan. As this plan connected the goal of conflict resolution with the perspective of accession to the European Union (EU) this article pursues the question of the extent to which Europeanisation promotes a solution of the Cyprus problem. For this purpose the theoretical concept of the “Hexagon of Conflict Settlement” is introduced. The prospects of success of the current process of negotiation – according to this concept – are dependent on two factors set against a backdrop of experiences with the Annan plan: firstly, President Christofias must succeed in changing the attitude of his compatriots and the Greek Cypriot media against compromises and concessions from a negative one to positive by means of a massive publicity campaign. Secondly, in Turkey not only the government but also the military and the diplomats must support the results of the negotiations.

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Keywords

Cyprus conflict, conflict resolution, mediation, European integration, Europeanisation

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Section
Articles

How to Cite

“Cyprus: Conflict Resolution through Europeanisation? Most Recent Experiences and Perspectives”. 2018. Cyprus Review 21 (2): 69-89. https://cyprusreview.org/index.php/cr/article/view/238.