Two village leaders, a mosque, Orthodox churches and the UN: welcome to Pyla, one of the few places on the divided island of Cyprus where Greek and Turkish Cypriots live side by side. Nestled in the UN-patrolled buffer zone that slices between the internationally-recognised Republic of Cyprus and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot statelet in the north, locals in Pyla are constantly reminded of the 44-year division of their homeland. But as Cyprus gears up for a presidential vote on Sunday that could determine if it makes another push to reunify, residents of Pyla say they want their peaceful cohabitation to serve as an example. “Pyla is the only place in the buffer zone where the two communities live together,” Greek Cypriot mayor Simos Mytides told AFP. “This itself is something to feel proud of.” When Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus split the island in 1974, some 200,000 people were forced from their homes as the population separated along ethnic lines. But along the frontline, Pyla remained an exception as the original villagers stayed put. The village of around 1,800 inhabitants close to the island’s southeast coast is legally administered by the Republic of Cyprus but policed by UN peacekeepers. Signs in the streets are written in Greek and Turkish and the two languages can be heard. Each year, the Greek Cypriot mayor and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart organise festivals to bring their two communities together. “We live here like in a cocoon,” said Turkish Cypriot resident Mehmet Pasha, 50, the village sports club owner who has set up an intercommunal rugby team. “What happens outside in terms of politics doesn’t really affect us on a political level.” Last year, peace talks to reunify the island came closer than ever to reaching an elusive solution but collapsed in acrimony short of the finishing line.
Published in Daily Times, January 24th 2018.
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