Featuring
Mr. Özdil Nami
Elected Representative of the Turkish Cypriot Community in Charge of Foreign Relations

Introduced and moderated by
The Hon. Ross Wilson
Director, Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center
Atlantic Council

Please join the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center for an off-the-record discussion on the Cyprus settlement negotiations.

Settlement negotiations to unify the long-divided island have been relaunched recently as the parties agreed on a joint declaration on February 11. While an agreement would provide a much needed economic boost to the struggling economies of the south and north alike, the politics of a settlement are as difficult as ever. In the meantime, hydrocarbon finds across the Eastern Mediterranean have potentially far-reaching implications in the region and on European and transatlantic energy security. Natural gas could provide incentives for cooperation in Cyprus but may also exacerbate existing tensions.

What are the prospects of a resolution of the four-decades-old conflict? What are the main obstacles to a settlement? How do domestic political dynamics on both sides of the island and in Greece and Turkey play into the picture? How do hydrocarbon resources issues and possibilities affect the settlement talks? What are the regional repercussions? What should be the approach of the European Union and the United States?