Confidence Building Measures in Cyprus: A Historical Overview

Following the election of Tufan Erhürman as the leader of the Turkish Cypriots, hopes for progress on the Cyprus issue have been rekindled. Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) are seen as the first step towards resuming negotiations.

What are CBMs? They are low-politics measures aimed at strengthening trust between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, paving the way for future coexistence.

Historical Overview: The idea of CBMs emerged in the early 1990s, after the rejection of the Ghali Set of Ideas. In 1993-1994, Boutros Ghali proposed a 14-point package, including the reopening of Nicosia Airport and the return of Varosha.

Bi-communal Initiatives: The opening of the crossing points in 2003 was a significant CBM. The bi-communal committees, established in 2008, also played an important role in fostering cooperation in various fields.

Despite the challenges, CBMs remain an important tool for communication and cooperation between the two communities.