observer wrote:miltiades wrote
Let me intervene here and tell Utu something that he obviously is NOT aware of. The TURKISH CYPRIOTS , ARE NOT TURKS , THEY ARE NOT SETTLERS.THEY ARE 100% CYPRIOTS JUST AS THE GREEK CYPRIOTS ARE NOT GREEKS BUT CYPRIOTS.
In fact there is a vast difference between the Turkish mainlanders and the T/Cs , any T/C apart from one or two will confirm this. When T/Cs are asked , when overseas , where are you from they do not reply "from Turkey" but from Cyprus , that is their home but it is not the home for the thousands of settlers imported into Cyprus by Turkey with the sole purpose of changing demographics and turning Northern Cyprus into a Turkish province. The majority now in the occupied areas are settlers.
Some truth, some propaganda.
1. Turkish-Cypriots do consider themselves Cypriots first and Turkish second. There are differences between mainland Turks and Cypriot Turks, but vast is an exaggeration. There are also differences between Cypriot Greeks and Cypriot Turks, different differences, but still differences. Again, they are not vast, but there are probably more than between Turkish mainlanders and Turkish Cypriots.
2. Turkish mainlanders (or settlers as you call them) came to improve their economic status. They were not 'sent by the Turkish government'. That is unless you believe that the many Sri Lankans in the South were sent by their government to turn Southern Cyprus into a Sri Lankan province, or the many tens of thousands more Turkish 'guestarbeiters' in Germany were sent there to complete what the Ottoman Sultans failed to do.
I respect the view expressed earlier in this thread by Get Real that the Cyprus problem is no business of foreigners. Even though I am a foreigner who has settled permamently in Cyprus, is developing a small business here and pays taxes to the government, I really only want be a passive observer to the discussion in this part of forum. However, I apologise to people like Get Real, but when I see a post like this which I thoroughly disagree with I cannot stop myself from intervening.
Concerning point 1., I lived in mainland Turkey for 12 years and was in close contact with Turkish people for most of that time. I have also had a fair amount of contact with Turkish Cypriots. In my opinion there is a vast cultural difference between mainland Turks and Turkish Cypriots. I make this statement based purely on personal experience. I made a similar statement on a thread here a few weeks ago and received support from Turkish Cypriot contributors. Interestingly, a recent sociological study has suggested that the children of migrants from mainland Turkey identify with Cypriot values and regard university students from mainland Turkey of their own age as being different and outsiders. A process of integration seems to be taking place at the second generation level.
On the other hand, I now have the opportunity of becoming acquainted with Greek Cypriots. Again, based purely on personal experience, I would say that there is very little cultural difference between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. I would argue that a common culture was created on this island over the four centuries in which Cypriots of all ethnic origins shared the same space. In fact, I would challenge those who say there is a cultural difference to specify what these are. Language? Well, from what I have seen all Turkish Cypriots aged 50+ speak very fluent Cypriot Greek. I used to go to a Greek Cypriot barber here in Limassol who spoke the most amazing Turkish, without even a trace of a Cypriot accent and with a very well developed vocabulary. Listening to him speak Turkish, you would imagine that you were speaking to a graduate of a good Turkish university. Yet, he said he only learned Turkish from playing with Turkish Cypriot kids in the street when he was growing up. (Did TCs living in the town of Limassol used to speak very "correct" Turkish?) Sadly he has now passed away, but surely the existence of Cypriots like these who speak or spoke both languages bears testiment to a strong shared culture. Religion? Yes, except Turkish Cypriots don't seem very religious to me. There are stories I hear from pre-partition times of Turkish Cypriots praying at Christain shrines and Greek Cypriots praying at Muslim shrines, especially when these were alleged to have certain medicinal benefits. Again, I would argue this all bears testament to the existence of a unique culture that embraced diversity and made harmonious co-existence possible. If not language or religion, then where is the great difference? Please elaborate.
However, I would like to address point 2 concerning the settlement of mainland Turks in Cyprus. There are two aspects to this issue. On an individual level, of course, these people came in search of a better life. A few of them found it, most of them have suffered discrimination and hardship. For the latter, this represents a great tragedy. Again, on a personal level. However, it is disingenuous to portray this phenomenonas being purely a case of individuals coming to Cyprus in search of a better life. It was, at the same time, a conscious policy followed by the Turkish government to alter the demographic structure of Cyprus.
I can quote an interesting source here. Turkish Cypriot journalist Sevgül Uludağ conducted a long interview with İlkay Adali which was serialised in the Yeni Düzen newspaper on 6-16 December 2005. İlkay Adalı, by the way, is the widow of journalist Kutlu Adalı who was assassinated on 6 July 1996 for the crime of writing in support of Cypriotism. Incidentally, I would urge people to bear this event in mind and give their support to the campaign to defend poet Neshe Yashin who has received death threats for the same "offence". The Adalıs worked in the Civil Registry department immediately after the 1974 invasion. She talks at great length and in detail in this interview about her first-hand experiences of the programme to introduce settlers to Cyprus. I don't know if such a frank account of these events has ever been published. Some of it is quite hair raising. She describes how boatloads of people from the same area of Turkey were issued on the ship taking them to Cyprus with documents showing that they were born in Cyprus, and upon their arrival were taken en masse to the same village which had been assigned to them. This was clearly a process that was planned and coordinated from above, and is very different from Sri Lankans who apply to job adverts and make their own travel arrangements to Cyprus, where they are only permitted to stay for a maximum of five years.
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