As Cyprus’ two Presidents inch closer to a permanent solution to the 53-year-old conflict, British think tank CEFTUS invites two experts from the divided island to discuss the current round of talks at two separate Westminster events.
Dr Erol Kaymak is the Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Eastern Mediterranean University, in Mağusa. Alongside him will be Dr Michalis Attalides, the former Rector of the University of Nicosia and now its chair for the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in European Politics and Policies.
Both CEFTUS events take place on Wednesday 8 February.
The first is a smaller, more intimate roundtable event, allowing attendees a greater opportunity to interact with the experts. Hosted by Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece in Room G at the House of Lords, the ‘Cyprus Issue: What Next?’ roundtable runs for an hour-and-a-half from 10.30am. Admission is free – see link below for tickets.
In the evening, Lord Hannay hosts ‘The Cyprus Issue: Cyprus Reunification Talks’ – part of CEFTUS’s Westminster Debate series. Dr Kaymak and Dr Attalides will give their views on the current talks, and then take some questions from the audience. This event is free, although the organisers would value donations to support their work.
About the speakers
Dr Erol Kaymak is Chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Eastern Mediterranean University. He has published on ethnic politics and the Cyprus conflict in academic journals and edited volumes, as well as producing or contributing to reports on Cyprus for the United Nations in Cyprus (UNFICYP), the Centre for European Studies (CEPs) in Brussels, the Peace Research Institute of Oslo (PRIO).
Alongside academia, Dr. Kaymak also straddles politics and public diplomacy. He is a founding member of the People’s Party (Halkın Partisi) in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) headed by Professor Kudret Özersay, and sits on the party assembly.
He serves as coordinator for the Cyprus Chapter of the Greek Turkish Forum that aims to contribute to bilateral relations between Greece and Turkey. He is also founding member and a former director of a Cyprus-based think tank, the Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development (SeeD).
Dr Kaymak was a member of President Eroğlu’s advisory board that worked closely with the Turkish Cypriot negotiating team between 2010 and 2015. During the ‘Annan Plan’ negotiations of 2004, Dr. Kaymak sat on the bi-communal technical committee that worked with the UN to finalise the blueprint prior to submission to simultaneous referenda in Cyprus.
He is a regular media commentator appearing on BBC World, Al Jazeera English, and quoted in many other news publications worldwide.
Dr Michalis Attalides was until 1 April, 2016, the Rector of the University of Nicosia and is the current chair of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in European Politics and Policies at the university.
He was a lecturer in Sociology at the University of Leicester, a counterpart to the UNESCO Expert at the Cyprus Social Research Centre, and a Guest Lecturer at the Free University of Berlin.
He has represented the Republic of Cyprus as its Ambassador in a number of capitals, including Paris, London, and the European Union in Brussels, before being appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has also represented the Cyprus government in the European Convention.
He held a Jean Monnet Chair ad personam at the University of Nicosia between 2011 and 2014. His books include Social Change and Urbanisation in Cyprus: A Study of Nicosia (1971), Cyprus Reviewed (ed.) (1977), and Cyprus: Nationalism and International Politics (1980). He has also published a number of articles on society and politics in Cyprus, Greece and Turkey, and on the European Union.
About CEFTUS
Formed five years ago, the Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS) is an independent and non-partisan civil society organisation. They are funding by the public and through their own fundraising activities and have no political affiliation. They have ran multiple events on Turkey and occasionally on Cyprus, bringing together a host of leading names from the world of politics, academia and media, including Can Dündar, Hilal Kaplan, and HDP co-leader Figen Yüksekdağ, to talk about topical political issues involving Turkey.
About CEFTUS’ two Cyprus’ eventss
Cyprus Issue: What Next? Roundtable
Date: Wednesday 8 February
Time: 10.30-12.00
Location: Room G, House of Lords, Parliament Square, London SW1A 0PW
Tickets & more info: a free event, but attendees are asked to make a donation. Attendees must also register in advance. You can do so here eventbrite.co.uk/ceftus-roundtable-tickets
Westminster Debate: The Cyprus Issue: Cyprus Reunification Talks
Date: Wednesday 8 February
Time: 19.00-21.00
Location: Committee Room 4A, House of Lords, Parliament Square, London SW1A 0PW
Tickets & more info: a free event, but attendees are asked to make a donation. Attendees must also register in advance. You can do so here.
