Perceptions of Cypriot citizens after the 2017 negotiations on the conflict in Cyprus

Abstract

The Mediterranean island of Cyprus has been divided ever since two invasions in 1974. Although the conflict in Cyprus might be frozen, negotiations aimed at solving the conflict in Cyprus are by no means stationary. For decades, leaders of the Greek Cypriot community and the Turkish Cypriot community have attempted to find a solution, yielding no final breakthrough to this day. This thesis and its underlying research set out to find out if, how and why Cypriot citizens have (re)evaluated their views, opinions and feelings regarding the Cyprus Issue after the breakdown in the latest round of negotiations in July 2017. Their opinions are crucial since any plan to reunify the island will require an electoral majority in both communities in simultaneous referenda to be initiated. By performing in-depth interviews with Cypriot citizens on both sides of the divide about their opinions on the conflict before and after the most recent talks, an insight into and analysis of the development of their views is given.

Key Words: Cyprus, Conflict, UNFICYP, Perception, Negotiation, Intractability