A solution to the Cyprus issue will allow the country to fully take advantage of its strategic geographical location, diplomats said, during a discussion in the Cyprus Forum on Wednesday, in Nicosia.
Among other panelists, India’s High Commissioner to Cyprus, Manish, and Germany’s Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Mirko Kruppa, explained that until the Cyprus issue is resolved, more expensive workarounds must be found, and Cyprus could not fully take advantage of the benefits its geographical position potentially provides.
Manish said that the strategic and geographical value of Cyprus will depend ‘whether it can keep systems functioning under pressure, make informed and sovereign choices, reduce single point dependencies, and rely on trusted partners, without surrendering to decision making capabilities.’
Mentioning the strategic partnership developed in the last two years between India and Cyprus, the High Commissioner said that the discussions on Cyprus joining the IMEC are ongoing. ‘Cyprus is interested, and it established a focal point in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for this,’ he said. However, he added, ‘to formally admit them as original founding members, there is still way to go’, noting that for Cyprus to become valuable to the projects, some steps are needed to be taken, mentioning financial, economic or digital connectivity, infrastructure-wise.
The High Commissioner praised Cyprus for ‘punching above its weight’, noting that it is one of the fastest growing economies in the EU. He added that Cyprus brings its own value to India, being in the top investors with a lot of foreign direct investments coming from Cyprus to India.
‘The current President understands that he has to diversify his engagements,’ and he makes deliberate policies to look east, he noted. ‘We have mapped our synergies, we have a delegation in the shipping sector, we’ll have a discussion on connectivity,’ he said, adding, however, that ‘the historical territorial problem is here.’
‘For the way forward, I think more heft should come from the Guarantor states, and the EU must be more involved and find a solution for the Cyprus issue’, he said, adding that India is always there for Cyprus and ‘we support in every way possible.’ He underlined, however, that ‘more things are not happening, because of this Problem. I hope some kind of solution will be found.’
On his part, Mirko Kruppa said that ‘whoever wants to control stability of the Eastern Mediterranean has to work with this island.’
Asked on what Europe can do to assure Cyprus in energy, security, and crisis response, he said ‘not much’, noting that when the Cyprus’ Presidency to the Council of the EU discussed article 42, ‘it showed that there are no procedures in place’ and to implement them will take at least 2-3 years. ‘I don’t think Cyprus has the time to wait.’
Moreover, highlighting the urgency to resolve the Cyprus issue, he said that ‘all the energy projects in Cyprus have been stopped because of the division of the island.’ As he put it, if Cypriots want a joint security policy ‘the north and south should agree on joining NATO, accepting the Turkish presence on the island’ he said, making reference to the northern part of the island under Turkish occupation and the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus, respectively.
Finally, he noted that, for Cyprus to be in the centre and fully take advantage of its strategic location, ‘it will need to come together as a society, overcome the drama and deep divisions.’ Noting that the EU and the Guarantor states have their role in this, he stressed that the starting point ‘is within the island. Cyprus has the potential to be an asset, and everybody sees it, but it’s a matter of cost calculation’ he said, noting that as long as the security situation of the country is not resolved, more expensive workarounds will be chosen.