After some of 60 years of ethnic jostling, 45 years of de facto division into separate states, and 30 years of efforts at finding a solution, the United Nations representative to the 30th anniversary bicommunal meeting of the parties on the 21st June 2019 stated that hope still remains alive for the establishment of a bi-communal federation for it still is viewed as the ‘most acceptable solution’ across the two communities of Cyprus (https://in-cyprus.com/hope-still-remains-alive-un-diplomat-tells-conference-on-bicommunal-party-meetings/)!
Between 1955 and 1959, the same time that Guyanese were in the process of fighting for independence from the British and there was ethnic strife and suggestions about dividing the country essentially between Indians and Africans, a similar national revolt and ethnic squabble had erupted in Cyprus. In 1960 Cyprus had a population of about 572,696: 442,363 Greeks, 104,333 Turks and 26,000 Armenians, Maronites and others. Therefore, like Guyana, Cyprus is a bicommunal society with 2 relatively large ethnic groups constituting over 80% of the population and ultimately their quarrel resulted in the country being physically divided country between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. What is most interesting is that although the problems in the two countries were similar and required similar solutions, the British recommendations for Guyana were different.
