Cyprus-Forum.com

[Sotos]

... that you have for the "other side"? Before the time of the internet what we knew about each other was what we were told. Now that we can communicated directly do you think we like each other more or less than before?

[iceman]

... that you have for the "other side"? Before the time of the internet what we knew about each other was what we were told. Now that we can communicated directly do you think we like each other more or less than before?

Well....I certainly did make some very good friends from the "other side" which i do business as well as socialise with their families on a regular basis,so i understand their way of thinking better than i did before....
BUT we did agree long time ago not to discuss politics...apart from that, even tho language is a barrier we get on just great using English..
We are like two different sides of a coin..Have too much in common and enjoy each others company when we meet..

[Pyrpolizer]

Face to face contact is the best for establishing friendships and some understanding of the "other side".
but you can never go into deep discussions this way.
This is how deep a face to face discussion can go:
GC: Everyone should be allowed to return
TC: And where will we go?

Internet is ideal for deep discussions, but on the other hand the TCs who know good enough English to participate are mostly UK expats most of which are pro Denktash.

[Murataga]

My opinions and situation is close to iceman`s depiction. We socialize with my parents` old friends from Baf from time to time. My father especially had a very close GC friend when he was a young boy (he describes as even closer than any of his TC friends). They met after almost 30 years and it was definitiely an emotional get together worth seeing. We barbequed and all... it was fun and surely interesting. However, both families refrain from getting into politics and history as the convictions persist. My family (my parents and grandparents) have suffered tremendously during the conflict and closely escaped death from EOKA-B attacks in more than one incident; I won`t get into further detail to avoid alleviating tension and draaging this thread into another political discussion. My father always says he doesn`t carry ill-feelings for GCs any more but mentions that he will never forget what they have endured aswell.

I think the internet has had a positive effect. I can`t say that we (TCs and GCs) like each other more or less after the internet since this may be very case-specific. However, I believe internet has added a new and very strong dimension of communication. And I believe communication is always for the better even if you don`t like what you hear from the other end.

[Sotos]

So if GCs and TCs can socialize and be friends and visit each other and work for each other and everything else except discussing politics doesn't this bust the myth that building trust and friendship will solve the Cyprus problem?

[Piratis]

It is indeed a myth that the problem has much to do with the trust between the two communities.

Some mistrust can exist from both sides, especially the GCs that have suffered under the Turks for centuries and their lands continue to be illegally occupied today and for the last 32 years.

However GCs are ready to leave the past behind and trust the TCs and Turkey again, while the TCs would keep recycling that some old propaganda as an excuse for why human rights and legality can not exist for Cyprus.

The reason is simple: Turkish Cypriots feel that they won the war and that now they deserve their "victory bonus" on the loss of Greek Cypriots. Everything else is just used as a cheap excuse.

How many people have you seen sharing what they have gained (legally or illegally) with others simply because they are friends? Very few. Because most people are by nature greedy. So don't expect TCs to give back what they stole from us if we manage to make them like us more. They will always find some excuse not to.

The solution is much more related with interests rather than trust, communication and friendships. Therefore for a fair solution that will unify our island to by found, unification has to be made something that will benefit the interests of TCs and especially Turkey (who takes the decisions), while anything that is against unification should be made as harmful as possible for their interests.

[Pyrpolizer]

Unfortunately the TCs proved specialists in doing one FATAL mistake after another.The biggest fatal mistake were the settlers. Now the selling of our properties. In 20 years they will realise they became slave/servants to the foreigners to whom they sold our lands, so they will abandon the place and let the settlers be the servants. By then however the foreigners will be the hidden masters behind whatever puppet masters will exist.

Something like what happened in Germany before WWs when the Germans became servants to the Jews.

I am actually looking for the day they will sell EVERYTHING to foreigners.It would be easier for us to make Federation with the foreigners

[Bananiot]

Something like what happened in Germany before WWs when the Germans became servants to the Jews.

[miltiades]

My opinions and situation is close to iceman`s depiction. We socialize with my parents` old friends from Baf from time to time. My father especially had a very close GC friend when he was a young boy (he describes as even closer than any of his TC friends). They met after almost 30 years and it was definitiely an emotional get together worth seeing. We barbequed and all... it was fun and surely interesting. However, both families refrain from getting into politics and history as the convictions persist. My family (my parents and grandparents) have suffered tremendously during the conflict and closely escaped death from EOKA-B attacks in more than one incident; I won`t get into further detail to avoid alleviating tension and draaging this thread into another political discussion. My father always says he doesn`t carry ill-feelings for GCs any more but mentions that he will never forget what they have endured aswell.

I think the internet has had a positive effect. I can`t say that we (TCs and GCs) like each other more or less after the internet since this may be very case-specific. However, I believe internet has added a new and very strong dimension of communication. And I believe communication is always for the better even if you don`t like what you hear from the other end.

What an excellent post , you are a well educated Cypriot and you have my respect .

[BirKibrisli]

Despite all the bickering and name calling that goes on,I think the effect of forums like this will be positive in the long term.If nothing else we will all realise sooner or later that all Cypriots were losers in this bloody conflict,and the winners were the big and middling world powers...

And I hope we will all realise eventually that we have been taken for suckers,that Enosis and Taksim were fatal tools in the process of carving the Cypriots apart...

The fact that people get on famously well when politics is taken out of the equation should tell us all clearly where the poison lies in our beloved homeland...