In the last of a special series hosted by Alexandria Innes and Georgios Giannakopoulos, guests Harry Tzimitras, Ahmet Sözen, Ipek Borman and Ibrahim Ince confront Cyprus’s present impasse.

Ibrahim is a DPhil student in Anthropology at the University of Oxford.

Ipek is a researcher at Cyprus International University, and consultant at the PRIO Cyprus Centre.

Ahmet is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Eastern Mediterranean University, and founding Director of the Cyprus Policy Center.

Harry is Professor of International Law and the Director of the PRIO Cyprus Centre.

In the final episode of our Cyprus series four guests confront Cyprus’s present impasse. They note that while violence has ceased, division has hardened. Greek-Cypriots favour a unitary state. Turkish-Cypriots favour a two-state model. Only a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation bridges the gap, yet publics remain unprepared for shared governance. Generations born after 1974 have only known partition, but young activists and artists are beginning to re-imagine coexistence from below. Harry warns that no conflict is truly “frozen,” while Ahmet and Ipek emphasize protecting the fragile peace that exists. Ibrahim ends with a metaphor of hope: Hermes Street in Nicosia—once a river, later a marketplace, now a border—reminds us that places can change meaning. Perhaps borders can too.

Recorded on 19 May 2025, this is the final episode in a special series of podcasts that emerged from Partitioning for Peace,TLP’s 2024 conference at City, University of London. For an introduction to the series as a whole, click here. These podcasts were supported by the Modern Greek Studies Association Innovation Grant, and the UK Prevention Research Partnership (Violence, Health and Society; MR-VO49879/1). 

Episode 78 – The Future of a Divided Island

Podcasts are published by TLP for the purpose of encouraging informed debate on the legacies of the events surrounding the Lausanne Conference. The views expressed by participants do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of TLP, its partners, convenors or members.

MUSIC CREDIT: Gregory Davis, Ocean View (Epidemic Sounds).