Settlers and Mobilization in Cyprus: Antinomies of Ethnic Conflict and Immigration Politics

Neophytos Loizides, Queen's University - Belfast

Abstract

The article aims to resolve tensions between legal, humanitarian and pragmatic considerations in the evaluation of settler questions in contested territories, looking primarily at populations relocated from Turkey to Cyprus after 1974. The presence of Turkish settlers complicates mediations for a federal settlement in the island and constitutes a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. However, in sociological terms, the Turkish settlers meet the profile of an immigrant population more interested in welfare and daily survival issues than in politics. In contrast to other contemporary or historical cases of settler colonialism, what is particularly puzzling in Cyprus is the absence of mobilization and politicization among settlers despite perceived discrimination and fears of relocation following a negotiated peace agreement. Moreover, the increasing presence of settlers in the island has triggered domestic insecurities and native discourses emphasizing Cypriot identities and interests. However, for the most part, both Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaderships have attempted in various ways to accommodate the settler question in the negotiations. Aiming to link the actors’ perceptions with the need for a negotiated federal settlement, the article examines a variety of possible arrangements and their potential consequences for settlers and the two communities in Cyprus.