UPDATE: Cyprus’ New Division - 2 Different Time Zones now a Reality [by EVIE ANDREOU]

NICOSIA, aside from being the only divided capital, as of today is now also probably the world’s only city of its size to have two time zones following the decision in Northern Cyprus not to return to daylight-saving time, which came into effect some while back.

There is now a one-hour difference between the north and south of the island with the Turkish Cypriots remaining an hour ahead and while many find it amusing, there will be practical issues, especially for Turkish Cypriots who work in the south of the island.

The decision, which was announced last month was mostly met with amusement from many Cypriots on both sides.  But TRNC Government said that it was necessary for practical reasons. Last year Turkey waited a week to fall in line with the rest of the world before changing to daylight saving time, causing frustration both in Turkey and in the north as computers and smartphones automatically dialled back an hour.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci had said in September that it was deemed as necessary purely for practical reasons and he dismissed arguments linking the move with political criteria. He added that they wanted to avoid problems with flight schedules, as in the north planes arrive only from Turkey. Another reason, he said, was to also avoid a change in the rules of the market and an effect on the financial sector. “If you ask me I surely do not wish for different time zones on our island,” Akinci had said.

The way out is a solution of the settlement agreement so that they could “rid” themselves from “unnatural things like this,” he added.

“We divided this island and now we will also have two time zones. This is absurd and unacceptable,” Bariş said. “In my opinion, we have to solve the Cyprus problem to solve this”.

Commenting on the decision taken by the Turkish Cypriot side to implement Turkey’s decision to stick to summer time all year-round, a spokesman of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (Unficyp) had said that they were focusing on facilitating efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement as soon as possible and that it was up to the two sides “how to address such issues”.

“The idea began as a joke. We thought about it the night Turkey had announced it wouldn’t follow the daylight-saving changes and when they decided in the north to do the same, we launched the event and it became viral,” Tanur Tsiknakis told the Sunday Mail.

Having two time zones, she said, it will be confusing. “It will be difficult as I’m a Turkish speaking Cypriot and my husband is a Greek speaking Cypriot and it will create problems. We have family on both sides of the divide,” Tsiknakis said.

[Source]