Deryneia: A village on the border.

“A resolution, of course.”

Last week we traveled to Deryneia to meet Marios, a young veterinarian, and his mother, Flora, a schoolteacher. Deryneia is a village on the buffer zone set back from the east coast of Cyprus. Here, more than anywhere else we’ve been so far, we felt a desire for a resolution.

When we first arrived, Marios and Flora took us on a tour of Deryneia. An integral part of this village is the border. After 1974 much of the villages’ agricultural fields and access to the sea was cut off by the established UN buffer zone. From the car, Flora showed us her sister’s house, brand new in 1974, and now inaccessible. Cypriot and Turkish outposts are located on either side of the barbed wire denoting a buffer zone approximately half a mile wide, with United Nations outposts sandwiched in between. In the background lies Varosha, the once-bustling tourism area of Famagusta turned ghost town after 1974.

In Deryneia the divide is an obvious and ever-present part of life, and people want a resolution. Flora spoke of the 2004 vote, saying that in Deryneia the overwhelming majority voted yes on the referendum. It was those living away from the border that may have benefited from the flood of tourism to the south after the division and therefore do not feel compelled to reunify.

On our tour we stopped at Marios flat, located adjacent to the buffer zone, to view Famagusta from the rooftop. When discussing the future of Cyprus, Marios spoke of the complexity of the situation and stressed that there is no easy solution. To Marios, it is important to remember that during times of war both parties committed crimes and both parties carry some blame. While Marios wishes for a resolution, he remains realistic in his expectations and is acutely aware that Cyprus cannot be what it was prior to 1974.

The following morning Marios and his cousin, Petros, took us to visit a church located within the buffer zone. With the approval of the UN guard, we took a ten-minute stroll into this no-mans land to visit Ayias Marinas. On this walk, we spoke to Petros about what he envisions for the future of Cyprus. When asked what he would like to see for Cyprus he said “a resolution, of course.” Despite voting against the 2004 referendum Petros says he would vote for any future referendum.

“After 40 years of separation no one trusts each other, so you must work at it.”

Since the 2004 vote, Petros believes that Cyprus cannot wait for a perfect solution, but must unify first and work towards equality together. Like Marios, Petros knows that Cyprus cannot be what it was in the 1960s. Still he believes that, given the opportunity, young Greek and Turkish Cypriots would try to live together and form a Cypriot community.