Northern Ireland peace process can help Cyprus

 

AS IN the case of Cyprus, the island of Ireland has suffered bitterly from conflict; national, religious, cultural and ethnic differences have been at the heart of the problem on both islands. 

Great progress has been made in Northern Ireland, however, with new constitutional arrangements and political institutions creating a basis for reconciliation and political stability. 

At a critical point in the negotiations, the opposing parties there benefited significantly from hearing the personal experiences of key parties to the South African peace process, and adapting important lessons to their own situation.  

In an attempt to take this lesson forward, UK Parliamentarian Rt. Hon Jeffrey Donaldson MP and other key leaders of the Northern Ireland Peace Process will be visiting Cyprus in the coming week, to share their personal experiences. 

The scheduled seminars will also engage with the question of whether the experience can be ‘carried forward’ by key figures of the Northern Ireland peace process, to their counterparts in Cyprus. Among the speakers will be Gerry Kelly MLA, Former Minister at the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, who also acted as Senior Sinn Fein Negotiator.  

The first seminar will be hosted at the University of Nicosia on October 13,, between 9.30am and 11.30am, at Cine Studio. Later in the day, the delegation will cross the Green Line, for a second seminar at the Mehmet Vahip conference hall of the Nicosia Turkish Municipality, between 2.30pm and 4.30pm.

Places for both seminars are limited, so any interested individuals are encouraged to RSVP the soonest at: [email protected]. 

 

 

 

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.