Professor Neophytos Loizides, a leading scholar of international conflict analysis at the University of Warwick, explores practical ways to restart – and finally finish – the Cyprus peace process in the second episode of the To the Point podcast.
Loizides explains how “backstop” mechanisms (pre-agreed safeguards drawn from global practice, including Northern Ireland) could break the decades-long deadlock by guaranteeing concrete gains even if talks stall. He gives examples of the kind of ‘wins’ each side could expect even if the talks collapse, such as a Greek Cypriot return to Varosha alongside the easing of Turkish Cypriot isolation.
He argues that repeating open-ended rounds of talks risks more fatigue and mistrust. Instead, Loizides suggests a structured process that rewards good-faith progress and reduces the cost of failure for both communities.
“There’s no point having negotiations that will lead to stalemate and back to the status quo. We should enter negotiations with the guarantee that both sides are going to gain something.”
This would create hope and momentum, while encouraging good faith negotiations, he added.
To see the full interview, click on the video below. To listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, click here, or on Spotify, here.