A/HRC/22/51/Add.1 VI. Conclusions and recommendations A. Conclusions 70. The Special Rapporteur is convinced that the political conflict in Cyprus does not originate from religious differences per se. For centuries, people of different religious orientations – in particular Christians and Muslims – have by-and-large lived peacefully side by side, an accomplishment which surprisingly seems to have survived, to a certain degree, the various political crises and conflicts that have affected the island. Rather, political tensions which continue to affect the island may have an impact on the full enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief for everyone, as well as on the relationship among various religious communities, since ethnic and religious affiliations largely overlap and are even seen by many as being inextricably intertwined. 71. Almost all interlocutors with whom the Special Rapporteur had a chance to interact during his mission agreed that the situation has clearly improved in recent years, with positive implications also for the enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief throughout the entire island. This has chiefly to do with the opening of a number of crossing points since 2003, which allows people – albeit not all – to move about more or less freely and have access to religious sites, including churches, mosques and cemeteries, previously inaccessible to them. In particular, members of religious minorities who had lived in a situation of isolation for many years are now able to be in contact with family members, friends and community members from whom they had been separated. The Special Rapporteur heard moving stories about family reunification and people surprisingly discovering common ties with others when visiting their traditional villages. Although he was informed about some incidents and attacks, for example in the context of sporting events, several interlocutors pointed out that the opening of the crossing points in 2003 had fortunately not led to increased physical violence between the communities. This in itself is a very positive phenomenon, given the traumatic history of war, expulsion, displacement and continuing deprivation of property as well as the destruction and desecration of religious sites. 72. The overall picture of the island is largely shaped by the reality of bicommunalism, which has repercussions for the situation of freedom of religion or belief. The basic features of bi-communalism were enshrined in the 1960 Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus. With regard to religion, bi-communalism mainly refers to the Greek Orthodox Church (plus the three official religious minorities of Armenians, Maronites and “Latins”, which have associated themselves collectively with the Greek Community) and Islam. While this understanding of bi-communalism undoubtedly reflects a historic and contemporary reality, religious diversity on the entire island has de facto developed beyond the confines of this concept. For example, migrants, settlers and their descendants have altered the religious landscape in the northern and southern parts, and new religious communities have arrived on the island. The Special Rapporteur also heard about disagreements between secular-minded people and more conservative religious believers. 73. The Special Rapporteur addresses several practical recommendations to the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, to the de facto authorities in the northern part and to other stakeholders. He would like to reiterate the importance of ensuring that there are no human rights protection gaps and that all persons can effectively enjoy their fundamental rights, including freedom of religion or belief, wherever they live. 18