The European Union as a New Context and Challenge for the Triangle of Greece, Cyprus and Turkey

This paper deals with Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus problem in the context of EU interests and concerns in the region. It argues that today, more than ever before, the EU can play a catalytic role in finding a long overdue settlement on Cyprus and improving Greek-Turkish relations. Following the development of a spirit of rapprochement across the Aegean in the late 1990s, the accession of Cyprus to the EU in 2004, and the commencement of accession negotiations between Turkey and the EU in October 2005, the political setting in the region is changing. It is also argued that a settlement on Cyprus in the context of European integration has the potential to produce only winners, benefiting all parties involved in the island or concerned over peace and security in the Eastern Mediterranean