The Greek and Greek Cypriot politicians still try to make an anti-Turkey propaganda and a diversion within the EU (ABhaber confirmed that yesterday). Let’s underline this: Turkey doesn’t occupy Cyprus. Turkey intervened in Cyprus in order to save the Turkish Cypriots. Last year Carl Bildt answered to some Greek politicians at the EU parliament that Turkey intervened in Cyprus because the Turkish Cypriots were being killed. And those Greeks didn’t answer, because they didn’t know what to answer. Why? Because they are so used to not facing with objective statements about the Cypriot issue.
Turkey’s military intervention in Cyprus was legal. Anyway, if Turkey wished it, it could have seized the whole island. But it didn’t do so. Because its aim was only to save the Turkish Cypriots.
Therefore Turkey doesn’t occupy Cyprus (by the way, Turkey’s legal intervention happened in 1974, whereas the Greek Cypriots became illegally EU members in 2004).
Furthermore, if the Annan peace plan was accepted by the Greek side, today the 35 000 Turkish soldiers would already have gone. Because that was written in that plan for the reunification of Cyprus, which was the solution for the peace.
Let’s remind that that peace plan was the plan both of the United Nations and the European Union.
But as that solution was not accepted by the Greek Cypriot side, the Turkish soldiers had to stay in Northern Cyprus.
In other words, the Turkish troops are still in Northern Cyprus to safeguard the security of the Turkish Cypriots, because the Greek Cypriots voted “No” to the Annan peace plan in 2004.
1974: a legitimate and legal intervention. 2004: a golden opportunity missed.
Your sincerely,
Cem
PS. Besides, the behaviour of the Greek Cypriot leaders is suspicious and justifies the presence of the Turkish troops in Northern Cyprus.
Let’s remember that some Turkish Cypriots (and a Turkish basketball team from Turkey) were recently attacked by many nationalist Greek Cypriots who acted with impunity.
Why with impunity?
On the one hand because the Greek Cypriot government didn’t do anything to prevent these events from occuring.
On the other hand, because after the attack against the Turkish basketball players Mr Christofias solely said that the rushers were fools.
What a strange statement about a racist and violent act. I mean, he didn’t condemn it. Is not that assessment suspicious? That unbelievable stance of the leader of the Greek Cypriots – who was openly against the Annan peace plan in 2004 – is revealing but also a proof that there’s a real risk for the Turkish Cypriots. The president Mr Christofias didn’t condemn the barbarian attack against the Turkish sportsmen.
Therefore, given that Mr Christofias (following the Greek Cypriot religious leaders) once more turned out not to be reassuring, owing to the silence of the Greek Cypriot government, and owing to the recent scandalous and dangerous statements of the powerful Greek Cypriot religious leaders about Cyprus (why do they make political statements? Why do they enumerate their “demands”? Are they politicians? Well why don’t the EU parliament and the EU commission (as well as the EU media) deal with that serious problem instead of tirelessly keeping on criticising Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots? Is not the EU worried of the weight and influence of the Greek Cypriot Church in politics?), the Turkish soldiers have the legitimacy and the duty to stay in Northern Cyprus until an enduring solution is found.
They represent the security of the Turkish Cypriots.
PPS. The Greek Cypriot leaders and the Greek Cypriot Church see the Turkish Cypriots as second class Cypriot citizens. Due to the dangerous negative nationalism of the Greek Cypriot state, if the Turkish troops left the island that would mean deserting the Turkish Cypriots.
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