Do we really want unification?

Sir,

I don’t want to sound like a sceptic but all this talk regarding unification makes me wonder whether it can truly happen. Most Greek and Turkish Cypriots would prefer partition rather than co-existence given their historical animosity and mistrust towards one another. I seriously doubt that Turkey is going to withdraw 100,000 mainland settlers plus another 40,000 troops and bring their population to around 90,000 Turkish Cypriots just to please the Greek side.

What I do believe can and should happen is to have two separate states on the island with some territorial adjustments to suit each side. This can work and one only has to look at the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean where there are two states, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, living side by side. 

Unifying the island could spell a demographic danger to the Greek side as the Turks would eventually overpopulate them. Also, it would not be fair for the Greek side to share their new found wealth as an EU member with the much more poorer side that has been living off mainland Turkish subsidies.

Simon Salaras

Melbourne, Australia

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.