atatwolf
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here is a large consensus among European countries to bring the Cypriot stalemate to a negotiation platform. There has obviously been quite a bit of advice given to Greek Cyprus to put aside their intransigent attitude and return to the negotiating table. Still, this has only helped the Greek Cypriot political elite to go deeper into their psychosis of being surrounded by an international conspiracy. Turkey is seen as the main culprit of such an international conspiracy aiming to deprive Greek Cyprus from exploiting hydrocarbon reserves that are supposed to exist beneath the sea.
The Greek Cypriot government and virtually all political parties are totally convinced that the "natural gas reserves" existing beneath the Mediterranean are a new El Dorado for their dysfunctional country and such manna will help them to surmount the bankruptcy crisis. This new discovery has left them with a perception of world affairs without much contact with reality. When Turkish officials affirm that the whole Cypriot population should benefit from natural resources, it is seen as "Turkey trying to master the north and to get associated with the south of Cyprus regarding hydrocarbons," as declared by Nikolas Papadopoulos, chairman of the Democratic Party (DİKO) on Cyprus.
Greek Cyprus is in no situation to listen to the voice of rationality and change its stance. Their main reaction against anything done or said in Turkey is to enter a new hysteria crisis, claiming "Turkey should not be rejected only, but also severely punished," as Iannis Omirou, speaker of parliament in Greek Cyprus, declared.
The only country Greek Cyprus can mobilize in its struggle to block any solution remains to be Greece. For the time being, Greek authorities have to deal with immensely more complicated issues. The early presidential elections called for by Prime Minister Andonis Samaras will have a very important influence on the country's governance. Either the austerity policies combined with public sector reforms will continue, or the current government will leave office and be replaced by political movements that have no envy to get into an agreement with international institutions. Samaras knows it and played his hand to show his foreign interlocutors how important his government is for them. Still, everyone is holding their collective breath and waiting for the results of the coming election.
Greek public opinion is known for its immoderate taste for debate and contradiction. Presidential elections only have a symbolic value and voters can either refuse to mobilize or use their vote to send a warning to the government. In both cases, Samaras's weak coalition may be tempted to play the "crisis card" in order to bring the EU and the International Monetary Fund and its foreign debtors to their senses. No one among the latter wishes to see Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), become the new prime minister.
In such a situation, Greece can hardly support Greek Cyprus through another "crisis situation" - it could be too much for one single country to manage two political crises at once.
Unless Turkey gets in a very tense situation with the EU, which could be likely in light of the recent investigations into Gülen Movement-affiliated mass media and the atmosphere of tragedy and conflict stemming from the developments. But other than the errors Turkey can commit and that could burn the bridges between Turkey and the EU, Greek Cyprus has hardly any different perspective to continue its policy of intransigence.
The Greek Cypriot government and virtually all political parties are totally convinced that the "natural gas reserves" existing beneath the Mediterranean are a new El Dorado for their dysfunctional country and such manna will help them to surmount the bankruptcy crisis. This new discovery has left them with a perception of world affairs without much contact with reality. When Turkish officials affirm that the whole Cypriot population should benefit from natural resources, it is seen as "Turkey trying to master the north and to get associated with the south of Cyprus regarding hydrocarbons," as declared by Nikolas Papadopoulos, chairman of the Democratic Party (DİKO) on Cyprus.
Greek Cyprus is in no situation to listen to the voice of rationality and change its stance. Their main reaction against anything done or said in Turkey is to enter a new hysteria crisis, claiming "Turkey should not be rejected only, but also severely punished," as Iannis Omirou, speaker of parliament in Greek Cyprus, declared.
The only country Greek Cyprus can mobilize in its struggle to block any solution remains to be Greece. For the time being, Greek authorities have to deal with immensely more complicated issues. The early presidential elections called for by Prime Minister Andonis Samaras will have a very important influence on the country's governance. Either the austerity policies combined with public sector reforms will continue, or the current government will leave office and be replaced by political movements that have no envy to get into an agreement with international institutions. Samaras knows it and played his hand to show his foreign interlocutors how important his government is for them. Still, everyone is holding their collective breath and waiting for the results of the coming election.
Greek public opinion is known for its immoderate taste for debate and contradiction. Presidential elections only have a symbolic value and voters can either refuse to mobilize or use their vote to send a warning to the government. In both cases, Samaras's weak coalition may be tempted to play the "crisis card" in order to bring the EU and the International Monetary Fund and its foreign debtors to their senses. No one among the latter wishes to see Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), become the new prime minister.
In such a situation, Greece can hardly support Greek Cyprus through another "crisis situation" - it could be too much for one single country to manage two political crises at once.
Unless Turkey gets in a very tense situation with the EU, which could be likely in light of the recent investigations into Gülen Movement-affiliated mass media and the atmosphere of tragedy and conflict stemming from the developments. But other than the errors Turkey can commit and that could burn the bridges between Turkey and the EU, Greek Cyprus has hardly any different perspective to continue its policy of intransigence.
