Thank God, it turned out to be nothing more than electronic amateurism by providers operating from the Turkish occupation zone. And the border - here it is, welcome, we invite you to take a journey through time, recall how life was in divided Berlin, cut into parts by a three-meter concrete wall. And here is a reminder poster: 'Nicosia - the last divided capital of Europe'.
From the observation deck on the dividing line that split the island of Aphrodite - according to legend, the ancient goddess of beauty appeared to people from the sea foam, in a bay in the western part of Cyprus - the 'otherworldly' quarters of the capital are visible. The nearest buildings indeed resemble a ghost town. Yawning window openings, empty streets, sidewalks on which no human foot has trod for many years. A striking contrast with the full-blooded, tourist-bustling Greek part of the city...
Yet in 1974, after the occupation by Turkish troops of the northern part of the island (37% of the entire territory), the republic lost almost three-quarters of its gross domestic product. A huge blow was dealt to tourism - one of the pillars of the Cypriot economy: 65% of hotels and the best beaches ended up beyond the 'green line'. Even more striking is what has been done since then - whole clusters of hotels have been built in the vicinity of Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos, and a mass of tourist apartments have been constructed for people of any income level. And the recreational potential of Aphrodite's island grows from year to year, continuing to attract visitors from all over Europe. Even in December, far from peak loads, one can encounter sedate old men from Germany and Scandinavia waiting out the prickly northern winter on the island of eternal summer.
By the way, the mild Cypriot climate is favorable for agriculture. Moreover, not only for the traditional gifts of the Mediterranean - grapes, citrus fruits, oil crops - but also for potatoes: here it yields three harvests a year and occupies one of the top export positions. Not to mention that the 'earth apple' is worthily represented in the national cuisine, which is easy to see in any tavern.
The islanders have also managed to create a very favorable, matching the natural one, financial and economic climate that has made Cyprus a desirable place for many companies. Moreover, there is every reason to believe that joining the European Union should not affect the business attractiveness of Aphrodite's island. Brussels officials, despite all their negative attitude toward offshore zones, cannot but take into account the peculiarities of the local situation. Especially since Cyprus has fully met the Maastricht criteria required for countries joining the EU, without any concessions.
Yet the republic had to overcome the consequences of the Turkish occupation with considerable difficulty. Suffice it to say that more than 170 thousand Greek Cypriots were expelled from their homes and had to move to the southern regions of the island. To this day they are denied the right to return to their native places, and who will return their lost property now? The Turkish Cypriots, also not without pressure from community leaders, were uprooted from their inhabited places and gathered on the other side of the 'green line', where they announced the creation of the 'Republic of Northern Cyprus', recognized by no one except Ankara, and completely dependent on it. Take, for instance, almost 40 thousand soldiers of the Turkish army stationed in once flourishing lands.
The current economic situation in this part of the island is illustrated by the following fact: native Turkish Cypriots are immigrating in thousands, and people from the mainland are brought in their place. Over the years, they have numbered almost 120 thousand, while local Turks are fewer than 90 thousand...
The scars of Aphrodite's island will not erase themselves. Over the past decades, many solutions have been proposed; suffice it to mention the latest plan by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which was never put into action. Mainly due to the uncompromising position of the Turkish community leader Rauf Denktash, who disagreed with the return of the expelled Greeks and with the denial of international recognition to his 'republic'. And this despite the fact that tens of thousands of Turkish Cypriots took to the streets in demonstrations demanding his resignation: they perfectly understood that Rauf Denktash's stubbornness would no longer prevent the Greek part of Cyprus from entering a united Europe, while for them the doors there would close for a long time.