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The division of Cyprus between Greek and Turkish residents represents a festering sore for the European Union and for the wider international community. Resolutions have been painfully pursued since 1974, when the island was divided, but none has yet satisfied both sides. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus continues to face embargoes from the EU and most large states.

The time has come for a further push, this time by Gordon Brown, the UK prime minister, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, to bring northern Cyprus back into the fold. The two men recently proposed an initiative at the United Nations, where there is a will to continue the process, initiated by Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general, which culminated in a referendum in 2004. Both sides were asked to vote on unification around a carefully balanced series of compromises. Two-thirds of Turkish Cypriots voted in favour, but two-thirds of Greeks voted against and the issue was shelved. The result has left the Turkish Cypriot community feeling bruised.