WHILE ONLY 54 per cent of Greek Cypriots consider Greece to be their motherland 92 per cent believed themselves to have Greek cultural roots, a new survey shows.
When asked the same questions, 88 per cent of Turkish Cypriots considered themselves to have Turkish cultural roots and 74 per cent saw Turkey as the motherland.
Meanwhile, only five per cent of Turkish Cypriots consider themselves only Cypriots, compared to 20 per cent of Greek Cypriots.
The results were included in a poll conducted by the Cyprus 2015 initiative and described as “food for dialogue” by the project’s co-director Spyros Christou. For the poll, 2,000 people from both communities were interviewed face to face.
The poll explored many other facets of the Cyprus problem, including what correspondents envision for a settlement, the ongoing issue of territory and settlers in the north.
According to the poll, two per cent of Greek Cypriots consider themselves as only Greek, while nine per cent of Turkish Cypriots identify themselves as only Turkish.
Some Greek Cypriots – 45 per cent – identify as Cypriot as well as Greek, but more Turkish Cypriots consider themselves to be both – at 53 per cent. Around 31 per cent of Greek Cypriots considered themselves mostly Cypriot but also Greek, whereas only 20 per cent of the Turkish Cypriot community consider themselves Cypriot but also Turkish.
On a separate issue, 71 per cent of Greek Cypriots believe that they should, or at least to some degree, assert their rights as a Greek Cypriot community in the event of a solution to the Cyprus problem even if it means that members of the other community will be negatively affected. A total of 77 per cent of the Turkish Cypriot community believe the same about the Greek Cypriot community.
Concerning territory, Greek Cypriots are open to the idea of federal areas but less so of any particular map in terms of territory:
l 35 per cent are satisfied, as minimal with the return of Varosha, Morphou and the buffer zone with Karpasia becoming a federal area for the use of both communities.
l 86 per cent of Turkish Cypriots find this entirely unacceptable.
l 57 per cent of Turkish Cypriots would be happy with no territorial adjustments.
Both communities seem to be on a similar page in terms of cross-voting and a rotational presidency, with 24 per cent of Greek Cypriots in agreement with it and 46 per cent of Turkish Cypriots.
On the issue of settlers 79 per cent of Greek Cypriots said that after a settlement is achieved all people who came from Turkey after 1974 should go back, as should their descendants. However, 60 per cent of Turkish Cypriots do not agree with sending all settlers back. Both communities have allowed for some flexibility concerning offering work permits to settlers, after a settlement, but not citizenship with voting rights.
Cyprus 2015, supported by the UNDP, Action for Cooperation and Trust and the European Representation in Cyprus, is an initiative geared towards a creative and constructive social debate for the long term sustainable future of Cyprus by helping to bridge the existing gap between the peace process and the general public.
