To this day Cyprus remains the EU’s sole divided state, with the breakaway Turkish Republic of Cyprus – an entity that proclaimed independence in 1983 – recognised only by Ankara. By December 2023 the remains of 958 people – mostly Greek Cypriots – had still not been recovered. “Why can there be no peace?” asked the septuagenarian among the estimated 45,000 Turkish Cypriots forced to migrate north. Ersin Tatar, the Turkish Cypriots’ ultranationalist leader, says peace can only be guaranteed through a two-state solution that Greek Cypriots and the EU reject outright. View image in fullscreen The ruins of Turkish Cypriot houses stand in Petrofani, in the south of Cyprus, in 2024.

Source: The Guardian July 20, 2024 19:38 UTC