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Former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ new book, Ithaca, released on Monday, shines a spotlight on one of the trickiest diplomatic puzzles in recent Greek and Cypriot history: the Cyprus negotiations, particularly the 2017 Crans-Montana summit.
In a chapter titled “Cyprus, a breath away from a solution,” Tsipras recounts the delicate balancing act the Greek government played, focusing strictly on the international security aspects of the island’s division. Greece and the Greek Cypriot side had one red line: the withdrawal of Turkish troops and the abolition of the post-colonial guarantor framework involving Greece, Turkey, and Britain.
Tsipras details his cautious approach, explaining he would only participate in negotiations once a realistic path to progress emerged. In December 2016, he and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades agreed on their negotiation strategy and red lines ahead of the Geneva conference.
He also recounts efforts to engage Turkey directly, including inviting then-Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to Athens. According to Tsipras, the meeting left a “window for the EU’s role” in a future federal Cyprus, paving the way for the eventual Crans-Montana summit.
The former PM highlights the UN’s Guterres framework as a major win for the Greek side, noting that it proposed replacing the Treaty of Guarantees with a UN-based monitoring system. But the optimism was short-lived. Tsipras blames the Turkish side’s intransigence, particularly during a crucial dinner on July 6, for scuttling any chance of an agreement and ultimately keeping him out of the talks at the prime ministerial level.
Even promising signals, like a message from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu hinting at possible flexibility on guarantees, were tempered by caution from Anastasiades, leaving negotiations stalled.
“Despite some positive developments, the final refusal to accept the framework for discussion ended any hope of a solution,” Tsipras writes, reflecting on a summit that could have brought Cyprus closer to reunification.
Ithaca provides a rare inside look at the political maneuvering, delicate diplomacy, and missed opportunities that marked one of the last serious attempts to resolve Cyprus’ long-standing division.
