An uncertain but exciting New Year

A WISE little owl who sits very still and watches has gained its rightful place as a true native of the island and perhaps we could all learn a little from our new endemic bird species.

After we have all enjoyed a very Merry Christmas, perhaps we too should follow its example, make our resolutions and welcome an uncertain, but surely exciting, New Year.

North Cyprus has survived a roller coaster of a ride since its inception and remains a unique and strangely beautiful land with a rich and varied culture.

A long road full of broken promises lies behind it and a future of, as yet untainted, promises and aspirations lies ahead.

We may have heard them all before, but times have certainly changed.

An airport worthy of any nation will soon be completed.

Road projects are being finalised and our growing population must also soon merit direct flights on sheer numbers alone.

The “Green Line” was always an uneasy compromise and if it is the expats’ turn to be denied, let’s not forget that Cypriots suffered far more in that respect than a shopping trip.

We can only watch and wait until the roulette wheel of international politics and trade cartels stops spinning, but life in the Levant is still well worth living.

Bad news may sell but good news is better.

The infrastructure is here to stay and the dreaded isolation and embargoes cannot survive the digital revolution.

Instant communication is here to stay for the worlds of business, academia, art or medicine, to see our loved ones wherever they are and, in the not too distant future, enjoy virtual reality at the very least.

Our island can be sustainable and we have the projects to prove it.

Renewables are here, an agricultural renaissance has begun and water is no longer in short supply.

If the Commonwealth lives up to its name, so be it. Peace and goodwill to all.