REMOVING PHYSICAL BARRIES IS NOT ENOUGH; WE MUST ALSO TEAR DOWN THE BARRIES IN OUR MINDS

 

The long-awaited breakthrough on opening new crossing points in Cyprus has finally come. The two leaders have announced an agreement to open the Akıncılar (Louroujna)–Lympia and and Gemikonağı ( Karavostasi –Kombos) crossings, a development welcomed by people on both sides of the island who have been waiting for progress on this issue for years.

Until just a few days ago, however, there was little reason to expect such an outcome. Even so, we are now entitled to say that something is better than nothing. That said, the crossings will not open overnight. It is likely to take considerable time before they become operational.

Over the weekend, Maria Holguin, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, openly criticised the two leaders in comments to the press. Judging by the outcome of their latest meeting, her criticism may have produced at least some results. Several positive developments were announced following the trilateral meeting, perhaps to ensure that Holguin would not leave empty-handed.

One particularly welcome decision was the resumption of the Imagine Project under the auspices of the Technical Committee on Education and within a framework to be determined by the committee. This is undoubtedly a positive step in the right direction.

Launched in 2016 by the Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR), Imagine is an anti-racism and peace education programme designed to encourage contact and cooperation between the two communities in Cyprus. In October 2017, it came under the auspices of the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Education.

One might reasonably ask: What could possibly be wrong with bringing children and young people from the two communities together and helping them understand one another? Apparently, some people saw a problem with precisely that. The programme was suspended in 2022 by then Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.

Despite facing resistance from the Education Ministries on both sides at various times, Imagine had reached more than 9,500 students and 4,500 teachers by 2026. These figures alone demonstrate the importance and value of such initiatives.

Education should be at the very heart of confidence-building efforts. Breaking down prejudices among children and young people, encouraging tolerance and teaching them to embrace differences are essential if the two communities are ever to build a relationship based on mutual understanding.

When students from both communities meet, interact and take part in joint activities, they begin to see one another as people rather than as representatives of the other side. Such encounters can build trust in ways that opening crossing points alone cannot.

Ultimately, a political agreement may one day be reached in Cyprus. But even if the leaders manage to reach an agreement around the negotiating table, how do we achieve reconciliation in people's minds?

Opening new crossing points is certainly important. They make movement easier and create opportunities for contact. But physical barriers are only part of the problem. The barriers built over decades of mistrust and  prejudice  are far more difficult to dismantle.

That is why peace education matters. Removing the barriers in people's minds must go hand in hand with removing those on the ground. The foundations for this work were laid in 2016 through the Imagine programme. Its resumption should be seen not merely as another confidence-building measure, but as an investment in the future of Cyprus.