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Optimism is in the air in Cyprus as a new Greek Cypriot president raises the possibility of movement on stalled reunification talks between the island’s Greek and Turkish sections. But any breakthrough will have to come in the wider context of Turkish-European relations.

Demetris Christofias won Feb. 24 elections to become president of Greek Cyprus, defeating incumbent Tassos Papadopoulos, who is steadfastly opposed to reunification with the Turkish north. The week of March 3, representatives from Greece, Turkey and both sides of Cyprus launched a flurry of diplomatic activity to see just how much progress could be made. Prospects for reunification are the brightest that they have been since Greek Cypriots rejected — at Papadopoulos’ urging — a U.N.-brokered reunification plan in 2004. But that does not mean the future is bright. There are too many involved interests who hold a veto over an underlying process that has little to do with Cyprus itself.

In the past two days, Christofias, Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis have been shuttling among Ankara, Athens and Nicosia to see what sorts of deals can be hammered out.