This policy brief argues for a renewed focus on substantive Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) as a response to the persistent deferral of, and recurrent failure to reach, a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus. Drawing on past and recent political commitments, the brief highlights the return of the Maronite villages of Ayia Marina and Asomatos as an actionable and previously promised CBM that remains unfulfilled. Additionally, it highlights the longstanding demands of displaced Cypriots for the return of the four villages located in the Buffer Zone— Petrofani, Varisia, Ayios Nikolaos and Ayios Georgios Soleas – that have not yet been explored as CBMs by the UN or the authorities of both sides.The brief critiques the prevailing reliance on full and all-inclusive peace packages that are intended to settle protracted conflicts, while revealing how such approaches often serve to delay rather than enable justice.
Constantinou, Costas M. & Mete Hatay (2025) Beyond a Comprehensive Settlement in Cyprus: CBMs and the Reinstatement of Maronite and Buffer Zone Villages , PRIO Policy Brief, 3. Nicosia : PCC .
