No relationship can last long without the existence of mutual trust.
Lack of confidence in the intentions of the other leads to continuous
questioning of each other’s motives. Suspicions, misgivings, and
scepticism make it impossible to work together or live together
peacefully. Mistrust causes us to live behind protective shields, hiding
our true feelings, making it difficult for others to get to know us.
Generally, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots are
very selective in their memory of
past events, and their description of these events is far from objective.
The past has been distorted beyond recognition by the educational
systems and political propaganda of both sides.
Such one-sided
interpretations of historical events push the two communities further
apart and allow little room for healing processes.
opportunities to hear other sides to the story
to listen to a different interpretation of the past. We
can help each other understand the distortions and to correct the
misperceptions that are widespread in each community. We can
learn that the view of events we have come to accept as the ‘truth' is
biased and one-sided. By listening to another viewpoint, we can
begin to understand our own history better, and we might develop a
desire for correcting our own community’s interpretation and
presentation of the ‘facts.'