Ulaş Barış writes..."Waiting for the Good News That Never Arrives"

Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides has promised twice in the last 72 hours that there will be good news regarding the Cyprus issue before the end of the year. His first statement was made at an event on Saturday, and he reiterated the same message yesterday at the commemoration of the July 15 fascist Greek coup.

It's no slip of the tongue; he's firm in his declaration. Good news is coming by year's end!

However, we have no idea what this news might entail, but it’s supposed to come!

At times, I fall into deep despair, making me a miserable and irritable person. I realized that my moments of despair are most intense when I hear hopeful news.

Having hoped and suffered the agony of dashed hopes at least a million times, I know this well. Be it at a train station in Monte Pelerin or on the edge of a cliff in Crans Montana after being betrayed by everyone around me, I’ve experienced metaphorical deaths numerous times.

Eventually, one gets used to dying. And when you get used to it, death becomes meaningless and mundane.

I can hear you asking, “Why all this talk of death?”

The death I refer to here is metaphorical—the death of hope. Hope is an abstract thing, and so its death is abstract too. It’s not a death that can be marked by a funeral.

However, if there is to be a death in our famous issue, I hope it will be, as the English say, “such an end.”

Alright, enough beating around the bush, let’s get to the point.

Is the Cyprus issue unsolvable?

I think we are close, if not there yet. I can point to two things as evidence: First, the last letter from personal representative Maria Holguin, and second, Guterres' dramatic statement a few days ago.

You’ve probably read Holguin's letter. It reads like a 'last letter,' with significant observations. For instance, she notes, "a lot of time has been wasted on mutual accusations."

How true that is.

This blame game and disinformation machinery, deeply embedded in the establishments of both sides, is still fully operational, perhaps unbeknownst to Holguin. The time wasted is not just in the past. It’s a continuous process that has stolen the lives of our grandparents, parents, and ourselves and is set to steal the lives of our children too. At this rate, even our unborn children’s time is already mortgaged.

This system, which has become a normalized part of our lives and forces us to settle for the lesser evil, will undoubtedly stand as a milestone in the potential disappearance of Turkish Cypriots.

The essence of the problem lies in this absurd system created and sustained by so-called personal interest and comfort. Those who maintain this system with a collaborative philosophy and those who oppose it but still present the illegal separatist structure as a normal order are the biggest culprits of this collapse. But the primary responsibility lies with Turkey, the creator, protector, and owner of this system here. There’s no point in hiding behind our fingers.

As has long been evident, Turkey will never allow the structure in the north of the island to become independent.

I would first point to the recognition of the TRNC. While even African tribes with barely drinkable water have managed to establish their states and get them recognized by the world, why has the TRNC, composed mostly of educated individuals, failed to do so?

Leaving that aside, why hasn’t the TRNC managed to create a self-sustaining system in the 41 years since its establishment?

Have all the economic development protocols signed since 1986 failed? How can so many futile efforts be made? I would die of shame. In Japan, many politicians would commit harakiri, but here, everything continues normally! Institutionalized and normalized evil!

But let me not stray from the topic and return to the second issue I mentioned above: Guterres' dramatic statement.

Guterres has been reviewing Holguin's report from last week. In his statement, he said, "I will exhaust all possible chances to restart solution negotiations in Cyprus."

Now, with all due respect, if the chance he refers to is inviting Ersin Tatar, who never represents the will of Turkish Cypriots, to New York in September, he shouldn't bother.

If he intends to use diplomacy to persuade Tatar to come to the table, he shouldn't bother.

Tatar has neither the authority nor the inclination to make any positive decisions in this regard. Besides, he responds to critics by saying, "Why curse me? I plan and execute these policies together with Turkey." Guterres should address Turkey instead of Tatar.

I write this with a heavy heart, knowing how powerful an actor the previous occupant of Tatar's chair could be from 2015 to 2020. The difference between that man and this one is Turkey’s different approach to the issue.

Therefore, if Guterres is to use all his means, indicating we are nearing the end of the road, he must play his cards through Turkey.

In short, from the statements of both Guterres and Holguin, it is clear that the Cyprus issue is being consigned to unsolvability.

When Guterres first took office, the Geneva conference was convened in his first week, on January 9, 2017.

Now, Guterres will serve as UN Secretary-General until 2027.

When you line everything up, it’s hard not to think that the Secretary-General will take another step to resolve the Cyprus issue, his first major challenge.

But I’ve heard from a top UN official that if his last effort fails, Guterres might declare the Cyprus issue unsolvable and withdraw the UN force from the island. This is a fear that partly motivates me to write this article.

Yes, I know I started with a reference to the "good news" Christodoulides expects. You might think this could be a positive, feel-good article.

So let me end with that reference, hoping the news will multiply and work in our favor, making our dreams come true.

Ultimately, our lives have been spent waiting for that "good" but never-arriving news.

What can we do? We can wait another six months.

After all, we have plenty of time.