Nikitas
I read your response several times. You are stuck on things that are really no longer valid.
What are those "things" be exactly?
Some years ago the Greek parliament in Athens had an open debate on Cyprus. It was an interesting review of past policies and at some point in the 60s the idea of Enosis was actively pursued, that much was stated on record.
Today the policy is different, it is based on the principle that Cyprus (the RoC to you) decides and Greece simply supports. In other words Greece has managed to get rid of the Cyprus problem in a politcally painless way. Entry into the EU has allowed Greece to reinforce this "achievement". In effect Greece is glad to be rid of Cyprus.
Is that why you have constant meetings every time a major decision is to be taken? or you have a Military pact agreement? or that according to 1960 agreements they are still guarantors just like Turkey. You will have hard time convincing anyone that you have parted ways as you contradict yourself by stating that you are now joined at the hip via the EU..so in reality you have achieved enosis of sorts indirectly.
Your explanation about the obliteration of all signs that Greeks once lived in the north is not convincing. Read your tourist information leaflets and see what I mean. There is a great deal of effort made to avoid using the word Greek, even when referring to obviously Greek areas like Salamis and other classical sites. In the case of Salamis the web site goes to the ridiculous extent of saying it was founded by Evagoras ( a Greek) but the city is Roman!
If you have not noticed we are not Greek and therefore have problems pronouncing many Greek names.. London was once Londinium ....Istanbul was once Constantinople...times change and so can names this nothing unusual. In the remote possibility of ever uniting we can agree to apply both names, are you happy now?
You say that the RoC claims to represent the whole island. Till a solution is worked out that is the way things are, a unitary state with one personality recognised by the UN. But you miss my point. Moving around in the RoC does not feel like being in Greece. This much you can test for yourself. Moving around in the north of Cyprus feels very much like being in Turkey. If anyone united part of the island with a foreign country then obviously it was not the Greeks.
You may be blind to the fact that the TRNC physically exists but I am not I live and breath it. For me as a TC the "RoC" is a GC state run by GCs for GCs and does not include any of my elected leaders, not do I pay tax to that state or claim any benefits. For me the south is not my country the TRNC is, this is very natural has we have been living divided for over 44 years.
I have been to Athens and the south is very similar but what does this prove we share many common factors so this is a natural evolution.
Like most people in this forum you too forget that from July 15 1974 till July 20 there was fierce fighting between Greeks in Cyprus. The Greek Cypriots were resisting the take over by the mainlanders and their local allies. So some people actively opposed Enosis because unlike the Turkish Cypriots they did not want to become just another district of a another nation. There is a vast difference between being free from Greek Cypriots and being suservients to Turkey. The two do not have to go together.
I look at the 1960 agreements as a point in time when we had the opportunity to build one Cypriot people but we lost that chance. The TCs are stuck between choosing on the grounds of history which is in the GC case the period between 1960 to 1974 and Turkey 1974 to date...well I am sure even you can see which has been better times for TCs. Without safeguards to ensure no GC domination and being reduced to just another minority like the Indians in the UK then this problem will be around for many years to come. You have to comprehend that we are 2 equal partners and that one cannot force the other to do anything like in the past.
You insist that you cannot be represented by the RoC. Is that the official position of the Turkish Cypriot community? Judging by the response to the oil exploration rights and the defense agreement with France it seems that it is not. The Turkish side was quick to remind us that they have a claim in the oil, and a say in the international agreements that the RoC signs. At some point, if you insist on this two state thing you got to prove you believe it yourselves, otherwise you cannot convince anyone that your aim is not to be "exclusive masters of the north and partners in the south".
I agree with you the TRNC should say nothing about the GC natural resources endeavours, the south seas are theirs and the north ours, simple as that. We should stand our ground as a separate state and respect our neighbours wishes.
Are you people really ready to accept the full extent of two truly independent states and all the ramifications of such a situation? Can you live behind an international frontier while the other side is free to enter into agreements and partnerships with other states at will? In other words are you willing to let the RoC be totally free if you have your state? The evidence so far does not support this view.
Totally agree. Let us go if you can and see the results. Let us have our own recognized state and you will see the progress change in the north. Even under your inhumane embargoes my community has survived and prospered much to your disappointment.
So we are going to learn from the past but ignore the past so that we do not make the same mistakes again....Have the Three Stooges heard that one before???
