Please reply to post 18 on the above article, before you repeat this propaganda.
"that both nations could make much better use of their time and resources."
I speak as an American that loves Cyprus. When I try to reason with your friend, he comes back with war stories from the past, that I care less to answer. I don't give a dime for the past. I know that the Greek Cypriots make 13k/year and the Turkish Cypriots 3k/year. The Turk in Turkey makes even less. The Turkish Cypriots have a chance to improve their life right now. If you don't want to let them do what they want, then compensate them. Make-up the $10,000 per year per person that they are loosing, improve their life, and I will not say another word. Do not send any more Asil Nadirs to them. A 70 million people country, should be able to look after a 100,000 Turkish Cypriots and 200,000 Anatolian Turks in Cyprus. Do you care enough for them? Prove it.
EU is just good for the Turks, but not for the Turkish Cypriots?
First of all its not propaganda. It is a mere statement of the facts about the conflict. Did the Turkish Cypriots do nothing against the Greeks and Cyprus during those days? No. I'm aware that they have done some stupid things as well but in comparison to Greek attrocities and their policy based on taking the entire island for themselves (politically and geographically) was what caused the mess.
The reason that the TRNC is not as properous as the south is mostly because they have been completely isolated from the world and have been forced to rely solely on grants from Turkey to survive, thanks to Greek propaganda.
Would both sides benefit form EU membership? Yes. Being a person that has personally not been able to comprehend the reasons for the inability of people of such similar cultures to get along with eachother on a beautiful and sufficiently large island like Cyprus, I believe that both sides should get back together and live in harmony like they used to 50+ years ago. For this to be possible, I belive that both sides must come to terms with their past conduct and admit the mistakes they have done and the harm they have inflicted on eachother. Another point that would make all sides involved feel safer would be to allow a limited amount of Turkish and Greek military presence under perhaps a joint NATO (or if/when Turkey is accepted EU) security force and disarm all Greek and Turkish Cypriot domestic defence/guard/police etc... forces. This would extinguish Turkish concerns of the Greeks attacking turkish Cypriots and Greek worries of the Turks invading the south. The joint nature of the security force would also oblige the Greek and Turkish armies to work as partners for a common cause as they should have been doing for years since both are supposed to be NATO allies.
Let us not forget that the center of all Greek-Turkish disagreements is the Cyprus issue. The Aegian problem is just an artificial issue that Greece has made up to give it better bargaining power on Cyprus. The government of Greece is finally in the hands of a group of rather intelligent and reasonable people and they would almost certainly give up on their claims to increase their territorial borders when the Cyprus issue is brought to a solution.
I will continue to elaborate on this matter if I get positive feedback from you.