It will soon be half a century since Cyprus is divided into two parts
One part, inhabited by Greeks, is a full-fledged state, a member of the EU. The second, inhabited by Turks, is a republic not recognized by anyone except Turkey. Essentially – a black hole on the world map. Although the native Turkish Cypriots received EU citizenship, they continue to be under the sanctions of this very EU.
Interestingly, at the dictation of the United States, almost 100 countries of the world recognized Kosovo, despite the fact that the problem of the Serbs living compactly in it has not been resolved and is getting worse every now and then. And here – a clean delimitation, and no one is in a hurry to recognize a mono-ethnic territory. As they say, it’s different. But it is all the more interesting to study the experience of half a century of survival in isolation, which can be useful to Russia today.
Northern Cyprus was strikingly different from its southern neighbor. The most noticeable objects on it were Turkish military bases before, but recently a real miracle has happened – the north is developing much more actively than the south. The secret is simple: cheapness and freedom. Therefore, tourists come here for shopping, and Cypriot neighbors line up in large columns in the evenings in front of the dividing line in order to fill tanks with gasoline for a third cheaper, stock up in markets and shops. They also prefer to bring their “iron horses” here for repairs. The language barrier, religious and other differences do not prevent the creation of joint businesses due to price disparity. Therefore, there is no hint of antipathy.
Hotels and tourist complexes stretch for tens of kilometers along the coast. Between them, the land has already been fenced off and marked out for new projects. We stop by one of the complexes and ask: is there anything for sale? Prices are quoted in British pounds. The fact is that mainly the British live here, who escaped from exorbitant prices and cold weather. But they do not experience any discomfort, being in their environment. In the same way, the Germans, Israelis, and Arabs colonize the northern part of the island. Accordingly, they drive here mainly gray investments. Construction, and consequently the cost of a “square”, is almost half the price here than on the Greek side, at the same time there is much less bureaucratic fuss with registration.
And the “black hole” has become a prominent educational center of the Mediterranean. Education here is inexpensive, as well as accommodation. Teaching is in English and other major European languages. More often educational institutions can be found only in casinos. Everything is international, and the staff is much friendlier. Even in the daytime, the establishments are not empty. True, it is very smoky – such a cost of permissiveness, because, unlike the EU countries, no one imposes general standards on Northern Cyprus from the outside. But the social infrastructure is quite at the international level. A friend passed out in the game room. She was immediately taken out into the fresh air, and two minutes later an ambulance flew up. They brought me to my senses, did a blood test and offered to go to the hospital. At the same time, they did not demand a penny and did not ask the tourist for insurance.
Foreign brands are represented by both high-quality Turkish fakes and official boutiques. Without cheating, the difference in prices clearly shows where the original is and where the fake is. Moreover, when the locals take the concepts and technologies of Western companies, it turns out better and cheaper. Coffee and pastries taste better than Starbucks, whose business model is being copied. When there was a misunderstanding when ordering, I was offered to make a controversial cup of coffee for free. And the politically correct inscription on the cubicles in the toilet just killed: “Man.” Not a single inventor of new floors will find fault.
The Russians are quite comfortable here. Yes, the Mir card does not work, but exchange offices are at every turn. All major Turkish banks work, in which the citizenship of the client does not play any role.
The prosperity of “legal Cyprus” is associated with huge Russian investments. In housing, businesses, “golden passports”. If in the EU the Russian language is banished from public space, then at Larnaca airport all announcements are duplicated in “great and mighty”. But now the Russians, already taught by bitter experience, do not want to be in European jurisdiction and are actively directing their steps to a neighboring conditional state with conditional legislation. Their number due to the lack of statistical state accounting can be judged by the posters of Russian pop stars touring here. They do not get the questions “whose Crimea?”, however, like any other.
Kindergartens and schools – both in English and in Russian. A residence permit can be obtained without even purchasing real estate, and the process itself can be simplified with a small amount of money. Local citizens are rubbing their hands to sparks from rumors that Russian planes will soon fly directly to Northern Cyprus, where only Turkish ones fly today.
With all this, living by the rules, on the one hand, is pleasant, especially for those who want to get lost with black money. But concepts can change at any time. It is impossible not to notice the regular exacerbations between Turkey and Greece. Cyprus is an ideal place for a local, warm-up conflict, all the more there is a good reason: open gas fields off its coast. Where he lives, everyone decides for himself, but at home, if not better, then more predictable.
