Eide: “You will be small but active player”

UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide said: “You will be perfectly positioned for being a small but active player in a very important region, after the Cyprus problem is solved and the relations between Turkey and Cyprus are normalized.” In his interview with the multilingual internet radio MyCy, Eide also evaluated the visits he made on the island in addition to the negotiators. Stating that some skeptical people, who have been very critical of a solution, tell him after their conversation that there might be some hopes in today’s procedure, Eide said that he finds this as a very positive step.

Eide remarked that the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots he has met seem to have the perception of being completely isolated from the surrounding world, with the exception of their relations with Turkey and Greece.

Stating that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots feel as victims of foreign powers, Eide said: “I also come from a small country, so I have sympathy for this sense that some people might have that “what can I do in the big world where the big powers play?” 

Mentioning South Cyprus’s foreign policy for Europe, and their bonds with the Arab world and Israel, Eide said: “You don’t need to feel small, even if you’re small. You will be perfectly positioned for being a small but active player in a very important region, after the Cyprus problem is solved and the relations between Turkey and Cyprus are normalized.”