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A new initiative, #EconomicDiplomaCY, is underway at the Foreign Ministry, led by open-minded individuals seeking alternative ways to promote Cyprus’ best interests and cultivate an out-of-the-box approach to often outdated norms.
With the Republic of Cyprus having a threadbare arsenal of foreign policy weaponware to capture international public opinion, it has been an uphill battle to fight the mighty lobby groups and top-dollar communications experts hired by Turkey.
A Turkey that’s bullying its way into Syria, the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean, trying to reinstate the influence of the Ottoman empire while trampling over Cyprus’ sovereign rights.
Those legal, political and diplomatic battles that have been won are thanks to the zealous efforts of a few, namely the dedicated overseas Cypriots who have the economic, hence political clout to pull strings in Washington and elsewhere, and of course a handful of diplomats who have gone beyond their calling to defend and promote the Cyprus cause and brand.
But that’s as far as it goes. Without the billions that our northern neighbour spends, with the tolerance of politicians in DC and Brussels, Cyprus needs to change tact if it wants to be heard.
Business, very often, transcends barriers where diplomacy and government officials cannot reach, as the common language is ‘benefit’.
After all, put naively, does the Cyprus problem not boil down to economic gain, for all its citizens?
The President took his time and paid the price for delaying announcing the establishment of an energy wealth fund, to be shared by both the island’s communities, if and when a solution is reached.
But the proposal was preceded by a bombardment from Ankara alleging the Turkish Cypriots were left in isolation, and of course, our EU partners and friends in the US and Russia believed them.
And not much has been done to pass the message along, not only to politicians but also to entrepreneurs keen to invest in Cyprus, assured of regional stability and a transparent economy.
Surely, promoting Cyprus’ commercial interests also helps build alliances, which is what we need, when trying to push through the message of being the victim of the 1974 war, destruction and continued Turkish occupation of the north.
Then again, how can Cyprus promote economic interests (apart from lining the pockets of lawyers and accounts benefiting from unsustainable investment-for-passports schemes), when it has a measly 12 commercial or trade offices attached to our embassies.
In some cases, such as Athens, the office also deals with EU partners Romania and Bulgaria, and other Baltic states, which makes you wonder what people do there.
Do they look after Cyprus’ interests or do they simply cater to Greek businesspeople making inroads to Cyprus? Why are Cypriot investments in Greece not defended with the same zeal?
Taking a page out of the Trump handbook, perhaps we should Make Cyprus Great Again, and the only way to do that is to get people who know a thing or two about business to boost our overseas diplomatic missions.
Reassigning a ministry clerk to key trade positions is not a winnable strategy.
