I don’t think a united island will work

Sir,

Your article dated “Does anyone really want reunification” (Sunday Mail, November 30) made sense. The article stated that there is mistrust, resentment and bad faith on both sides and that the possibility of reunification was minimal.

The question was asked to consider the possibility of formalising our long separation as this would have much more public support than any attempt at reunification.

I do not believe reunification can take place. If relations where to be formalised there would have to be some land adjustments. The Turkish side currently occupies 37 per cent of the total area of Cyprus and prior to 1974 the Turkish Cypriots never constituted more than 20 per cent of the total population, perhaps Varosha could be returned to the Greek side?

There also needs to be compensation for both sides that lost properties or land. When formalising relations between the two states, what do you call both sides: North and South Cyprus or the Republic of Cyprus and TRNC or do we come with two new names?

You also have to consider a new flag for the Greek side as the map of all of Cyprus in yellow is a hope of reunification and not necessarily the current reality.

I don’t think the Turkish side wants to move 120,000 plus settlers as well as 40,000 troops to mainland Turkey just to join the EU.

This is the harsh reality that some Greek Cypriot politicians including the current president have not come to terms with. The majority of both people want separation with good neighbourly ties.

George Georgiou,

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.