THE COMING weeks will be an important period for Cyprus, as we near October 3 – the date set by the European Union for the start of accession talks with Turkey. It is a process intrinsically linked to our own hopes, and the direction in which we want to guide our future.
Had it not been for the tragedy which has cast a shadow across our community for the past fortnight, we would already have been in the midst of busy speculation, a feverish period in which our politicians would battle for air time and column inches, each to inject their dose of jingoistic hyperbole.
Would it be too much to hope that the arbitrariness of fate and the rawness of suffering it has inflicted might impress a greater sobriety in our reflections over the coming weeks? Probably, given the immaturity much of the media has shown in its coverage of last Sunday’s air tragedy.
Hopefully our politicians will resist the temptation to score cheap points in their usual patriotic auction, because our President is walking an unenviable tightrope: one in which he needs mature advice rather than shrieking siren calls.
Just as last December, Cyprus has an unusual power over Turkey’s destiny. It can veto the opening of talks, strike a blow against its perennial enemy that is utterly disproportionate to the usual balance of power. But unlike in December, when it was being reined in by its fellow Europeans, now Cyprus could find itself being egged on by those who see in our predicament the perfect excuse to shipwreck Turkey’s European dream.
Over the coming weeks, we must decide how we want to use that power. If the humbling of Turkey is what we want, then the opportunities don’t come much better than this. But if we are serious about using the European Union as a way of achieving a fairer settlement in Cyprus, then we run the risk of cutting off our nose to spite our face.
If we cast Turkey cast off the European platform, our opportunity to influence events will abruptly end on October 3. If on the other hand, we give the green light, we retain leverage for as long as Turkey stays on board, with that leverage rising, the closer Turkey comes to actual membership.
Of course, the danger is that we keep giving without anything to show for it. A grudging customs union is a poor substitute for recognition, and the coming years are likely to be strewn with such disappointments.
But a Turkey bound to Europe is a Turkey under check, and we know its full membership will never be achieved without Turkey agreeing to a solution in Cyprus. It may seem a thankless process, but if we really ache for reunification, we have little choice but to follow it.
