Ali Furkan

We met Ali at his boutique coffee shop, Buğday, in the historical north-Cypriot city of Famagusta. It’s situated in the old town, tucked away from the city’s buzzing economic centre around the university campus. 

“It was not an investment meant to make a lot of money,” Ali explains. He tells the story of how one day, when walking through the old town, he noticed how it was “quiet, calm, even deserted.” And so he thought, “these places deserve more value than we give to them. Why isn’t there a place where I can sit and enjoy a coffee here?”

Buğday first opened its doors to customers in 2019. It offers freshly baked goods, pastries, sourdough breads, and a wide selection of books for visitors to read in house or purchase. 

For Ali, his very existence as a Cypriot from the north has been overshadowed by the ongoing deadlock. The political situation has meant that people like him can feel almost invisible on the European stage. “The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, or whatever you want to call it, is a place both inside and outside the European Union,” Ali says. 

“Individually, people may benefit from the blessings of the European Union,” he adds, “but when they come together in an institutional sense, these people have an existential problem.”

Young citizens of the European Union are familiar with the many benefits the institution offers. Students can easily attend partner universities for exchange programs, hop to near-by countries with ease, enjoy grants and subsidies for projects galore, and much more. Still, Cypriots from the north — even those who hold citizenship from the Republic of Cyprus — must jump through hoop after hoop to access the same rights as their peers in the south. 

“I am on the board of directors of the Famagusta Youth Union. For example, we have a project to realize,” Ali says. “Without going too deep into the details of the project, we cannot even start it without a Greek Cypriot partner. But they can start any project without us. 

“There are many other things. Everything is connected to the political solution in Cyprus, especially for Turkish Cypriots. 

At this point, the lack of a solution affects my life a lot. But in the current deadlock, my equivalent, a 26-year-old Greek Cypriot, would not be limited in the same way. Because he could carry out a project with his own association, have access to all grants and funds, do whatever he wanted, whether it was trade, tourism, or education.”

Outside the EU, Turkish-speaking Cypriots face even more struggles on the world stage. Because the TRNC is not a recognized state, its people are forced to choose allegiances to partake in things like international sports events. 

“Today, a talented young Turkish Cypriot cannot represent themselves in the world. They could either join a team under the flag of the Republic of Cyprus, which is very difficult, or Turkey, where the competition is so much higher.”

Educational opportunities are another issue. The TRNC’s lack of status as a legitimate state means diplomas issued by it are not recognized by most of the world. Ali himself came face to face with this issue upon receiving his Bachelors degree from the Eastern Mediterranean University in Famagusta, which isn’t included in the Erasmus exchange program. His peers in the south, however, do not face the same hurdles. 

The current situation has made many like Ali feel invisible to the rest of the world. Sure, they’ve been resilient, and have found various workarounds to make life easier. Still, these are by no means sustainable solutions. Speaking out on the issues can also be difficult. 

“Expressing an opinion on this subject causes people to be stigmatized. We actually want to be seen. We would like to do something with the world, be it our sports clubs or in terms of trade. 

“However, doing something is conditioned on something political. Nothing can be done without the Federation” he says. In other words, without a federal solution and reunification, Turkish-speaking Cypriots have little hope for an easier life. And like many issues on the island, demanding equal access to rights and benefits has become politicized. “It is implied that you advocate for two states and that you are a separatist,” Ali claims.

 “The European Union’s biggest unspoken story is that of the Turkish Cypriots, who cannot access their rights within the ongoing status quo. And that’s caused an inequality that isn’t talked about. 

“I don't think people in the European Union have a lot of knowledge about Cyprus. Maybe not [when it comes to] Turkish Cypriots. Europeans have no idea about what’s happening in Cyprus.”

Despite the complications, Ali managed to pursue his Master’s degree at the Rome Business School in 2018 in Agricultural Business Operations. He describes how he attended a start-up event in Rome, where he realized he had many ideas for his future. All of which drew him back to Cyprus. Upon completing his studies, he turned down an internship with the UN Agriculture and Food Organization and returned to the island. He borrows from Constantine Cavafy’s poem The City to explain his decision: ‘You won’t find a new country, won’t find another shore. This city will always pursue you.’

‘You won’t find a new country, won’t find another shore. This city will always pursue you.’

“Yes, the opportunities in Cyprus are bad; but if we don't come and be a hand, who will? If I go, if you go, who will stay?” he says. 

Ali is a cautious optimist. Staying abroad might have meant an easier life for him, with more opportunities for development and growth. But he describes a glimmer of hope that the island’s youth brings that things could change for the better. His biggest fear, he says, is to become “an adult who talks and talks about the impossibility of everything.” As people grow and gain experience, he says, they lose their willingness to take a leap of faith. 

That could also be said about the division. “The people who started the Cyprus problem are dead now. The oldest people today, those who were born in the 60’s or 50’s, those who are still alive were born into the Cyprus problem. They were still quite young when the war happened in 1974.” What followed, he says, are generations born into division; who don’t know Cyprus any other way. 

“This situation gives me both fear and hope. Fear because we were born into something that seems helpless. And there is always the risk of our current state worsening. Because every year it creates new injustices, new troubles, new hatreds.

“On the other hand, it gives me hope. Because new generations may say, ‘What is this we did. Why are we hating each other?’.”

But even with younger Cypriots questioning the situation and some even fighting for a solution, over 50 years of living apart has meant that the communities have developed parallel to one another. 

“The reality lived by both parties is different,” Ali explains. 

“The economic situation we live in, the people we marry. Things have changed. Today we go to Istanbul whenever we find a chance. Greek-Cypriots go to Athens. In other words, our realities have taken us down separate paths. 

“Whether we can be freed from the burdens of the past here is up to the skill of our generation. Maybe individually, as small groups, we can fix it. But on a societal level, I'm not sure how much we can clean up.”