Our point of view: Do people care more about the Cyprus problem?

When asked for an opinion poll which party could best handle the negotiations on the Cyprus problem, the largest number of respondents (29%) replied that there was none. In the poll, conducted for Antenna TV, 24 percent of respondents said Disy and 21 percent said Akel.

It is very telling that most people think that the two sides who support a federal settlement are best placed to handle the Cyprus talks. Interviewees showed no confidence in the rejecting parties that talk about putting Turkey in the dock, treating the Cyprus problem as a matter of invasion and occupation, holding an international conference, forging strategic alliances, etc.

In short, the majority of people do not seem to buy the tough stance of nationalist parties like Edek, Diko, Solidarity and Elam or believe that these could come to a more favorable deal with the Turkish Cypriots through their intransigent stance. One could argue that the 29% who do not trust either party to run the talks belong to the anti-federation camp, which does not want talks.

What is not clear is whether the 24% who think Disy could handle the negotiations better endorse President Anastasiades’ policy of engaging in talks that go nowhere or that support the defense of a payment by Averof Neophytou before Geneva. What can be safely concluded is that those who would trust Akel are pro-colonization supporters, as he is the only party that in the past two years has campaigned explicitly for a deal, everything by openly criticizing the constant ambiguity of the Anastasiades.

The polls can be interpreted in different ways and the fact that we can come to several plausible conclusions is an indication of the general confusion around the Cyprus problem. What do the majority of Greek Cypriots want, what settlement or agreement with the other side would they be comfortable with? Do they know it, do they care, or have they been pushed into a state of apathy by the constant failure of talks?

The Cypriot problem was not included in the election campaign, as we are at an impasse, due to the Turkish Cypriots’ demand for a two-state solution, so there is nothing for the parties to complain about. Everyone is content with the status quo, under the illusion that this will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future. Warnings about the unsustainability of the status quo are ignored.

People are naturally suffering from the fatigue of the Cyprus problem after all these years, but this public apathy, which suits the Anastasiades government which has no other plan but to preserve the status quo, could prove to be quite costly in the future. not too far away.