Earlier this month, U.N.-led negotiations between Cyprus and Turkish Cyprus on the status of the divided island ended without any significant breakthroughs. In an email interview, Michális S. Michael, deputy director of the Center for Dialogue at La Trobe University, discussed the Cyprus talks.
WPR: What are the primary areas of progress in talks between Cyprus and Turkish Cyprus, and how do they compare with the final status of talks in 2004?
Michális S. Michael: In contrast to 2004, and despite 126 high-level meetings since 2008, little progress has been achieved on the core issues separating the two sides. While some headway has been made on the secondary European Union and economic chapters, there is still divergence on how any final settlement will be incorporated into EU law. Also, some progress has been reported on the government and power-sharing chapter, while there is stalemate on the vexing property chapter. There has been hardly any discussion on territory and security issues.