Cyprus' ambassador to the U.S., Andreas Kakouris, is grateful that his nation's 36-year conflict with Turkey isn't violent.

The Mediterranean island has been split since Turkey invaded northern Cyprus in 1974 with the stated goal of protecting the island and its ethnic Turks from a Greece-led coup.  

The conflict only lasted a few days, but nearly four decades later, some 35,000 Turkish troops remain posted in a state known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus that covers 37 percent of the island's land area.

The Republic of Cyprus, a European Union member that operates in the southern part of the island, has coexisted peacefully with the so-called TRNC in recent years. But the relative calm, while better than bloodshed, has had a negative side effect, Mr. Kakouris told GlobalAtlanta in an interview.

Without wartime images in the media, some "forget that there is a continuing occupation and a violation of all (the U.S.) holds dear: human rights, democracy and the rule of law," he said. "And they look at Cyprus and say, 'There may not be peace, but there's quiet.'"

Mr. Kakouris wants to break the silence. He visited Atlanta to meet with former President Carter and speak at local universities on this issue, often referred to as the "Cyprus Problem."

The Republic of Cyprus gained EU membership in 2004 and is nearly universally viewed as sovereign over the whole island. The TRNC is only recognized by Turkey, which is bidding to join the EU while perpetuating an internationally condemned occupation of an EU member state, Mr. Kakouris said. 

Before the invasion, Turkish and Greek Cypriots lived intermingled throughout the island, Mr. Kakouris said. Afterward, up to 200,000 Greek Cypriots became refugees in the southern part of the country, and many Turkish Cypriots moved north to the new zone, he said.  

Without its northern territory, Cyprus lost the area that accounted for 70 percent of its gross domestic product. The breadbasket of the country and its major tourist hubs and ocean ports were in the north, Mr. Kakouris said. 

In addition to the economic hardship, the invading forces desecrated hundreds of churches and cemeteries in the north. Over time, Turkish Cypriots and some 160,000 total settlers from Turkey have seized land and property belonging to Greek Cypriot refugees who fled south, he said. 

Property seizures and dilution of the Cyprus population through settlements are both in violation of U.N. resolutions, Mr. Kakouris added. 

Visiting the occupied area twice on academic trips, Bijan Fazlollahi, an international business professor at Georgia State University, got a different perspective of what Mr. Kakouris described as Turkish aggression. 

Some settlers he met were convinced that "the rights of the Turkish Cypriots were violated by the Greek Cypriots before [the invasion]. They were dominated and they felt that they were not treated as equal citizens," said Dr. Fazlollahi, who noted that the conflict traces back to the days of the Ottoman Empire.  

Whatever its roots, Mr. Kakouris said the only way to end the conflict is to end the occupation. He maintained that it's never been a religious issue between the largely Orthodox Christian Greek Cypriots and mostly Muslim Turks. Because of that, Cyprus could be a "test case for debunking the myth" that a clash of civilizations is inevitable when Muslims and Christians live together. 

"If we're able to get a solution for the Cyprus problem that reunifies the island and the people in the way that allows them to move forward with a common homeland and a common future, the message that brings is larger than the size of the island," he said. 

Reunification is closer than ever as northern Cypriots grow increasingly anxious to tap the economic opportunities afforded by Cyprus' EU membership, said Dr. Fazlollahi, an expert on transitional economies. 

He described the TRNC as a beautiful place where many Europeans maintain summer homes. It has a high density of universities but very little industry where graduates could work, he said. The zone's currency is the New Turkish Lira, which is weak against the euro. 

Turkey's desire to join the EU provides another avenue for countries to "cajole" Turkey to end the occupation, said Mr. Kakouris. 

Turkey's EU bid is already opposed by some member states, most notably France and Germany, who fear the country's culture doesn't mesh with that of the current members. They also worry that Turkey's large population (it would be the second most populous country upon entry) could put economic strain on the union.

Turkey has many other hurdles to clear, but resolving the Cyprus issue would be a tangible step toward showing its European credentials, Mr. Kakouris said. 

"Turkey will not be able to join the European Union whilst it's still occupying Cyprus. That is clear," the ambassador said.  

Morton Abramowitz, who served as U.S. ambassador to Turkey in 1990-91, said the Cyprus issue is one of many Turkey must address before being seriously considered for EU entry.

He added that reunification on Cyprus is unlikely anytime soon, and Greek Cypriots have shown a certain intractability toward plans to settle the issue, like the "Annan plan" put forth under U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2002. 

Mr. Kakouris said the plan was rejected by 76 percent of Cypriot voters in a referendum because it "had nothing to do with reunifying the island." It called for Turkish troops to withdraw over a 14-year period and left Turkey the right to maintain a troop presence and the right of intervention, he said. 

"We did not reject a solution," he said. "We rejected a plan that regrettably did not even have the semblance of justice or functionality."

As for Cyprus' economy, the EU has been a "safety net," providing stability and helping attract foreign investment, the ambassador said.

Having steadily rebuilt its economy after the invasion, Cyprus is largely a services-based economy with strong tourism, banking and real estate sectors. 

About half of Cyprus' tourists come from the U.K., which colonized the island from 1925-1960. 

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