1st of August Communal Resistance Day celebrated
2 August, 2023President Ersin Tatar holds meeting with US Congressman Pete Sessions
4 August, 2023Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Sammy Wilson said that there is no reason that the TRNC cannot be accepted by the UN as an independent state.
Wilson wrote an article titled “Cyprus needs its own Good Friday Agreement” for the policy news site “Politics Home”.
In his article, Wilson noted “If in the future there is a scope for reintegration, an agreement like the Belfast/Good Friday agreement would allow for that.
In an attempt to find a political solution to the troubles of the past, the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement was negotiated and designed to bring about a peaceful resolution to sectarian violence and establish a democratic means for resolving the territorial problems we faced. The Agreement was supported in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It enshrines the democratic principles which maintain peace on the island, important cross-border relationships, and creates shared institutions between the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The principle of consent drives these arrangements.
When I look at the recent history of Cyprus it is easy to draw parallels between the island of Cyprus and the island of Ireland. Both islands have communities that are deeply divided and have suffered from intense sectarian violence along religious and political lines.
Furthermore, in his article, Wilson stressed “It is my belief that the lessons we have learnt from the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the ending of the Troubles can be applied to Cyprus and help to find a political resolution to the ongoing Cyprus issue.
There is no reason, that I can see, that the TRNC cannot be accepted by the UN as an independent state; indeed, the 2010 International Court of Justice decision regarding Kosovo’s independence should grant further legality to the TRNC’s request. If in the future there is a scope for reintegration, an agreement like the Belfast/Good Friday agreement would allow for that.
The sensible choice would be for a mediator nation to broker this agreement between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots. I believe that the UK could fulfil this role. We have historically been one of the most influential nations in the region, we governed Cyprus before its independence in the 1960’s, and we are party to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, which could act as a template for a future and lasting peace treaty in Cyprus. Not only are we a guarantor power of the island of Cyprus and both its communities, we also have an international responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
What is clear though is that the ongoing divide and the UN-enforced ceasefire cannot continue. It is not a healthy situation for Cyprus or the strategically important Eastern Mediterranean. Peace is always a worthy outcome, and it is something which should be pursued”.