The Cyprus Question, the EU and the Stakes Involved.

The Cyprus question is an international problem which does not only concern the Cypriots. It has several dimensions: from the bicommunal to the relations between Greece and Turkey, from the regional and security balances (or imbalances) in the eastern Mediterranean to the broader European foreign and security policy aspects as well as the wider international (for example, significance in terms of the precedent it may set). Whether and how it will be resolved will obviously and inevitably have repercussions beyond the territorial boundaries of this island–state. In relation to its domestic aspects the objective is to formulate a political structure to manage the relations of the majority and the minority community as well as all the people of the country. This objective is inevitably influenced by other considerations some of which create further complications. In this regard it should be stressed that the presence of Turkey remains overwhelming