Cyprus-Forum.com

[The Cypriot]

English history: from a Cypriot perspective

The inhabitants of England have no common language (except English), and no common religion, nor have they, except at the surface, any common culture. This being so, any approach to the English question which regards the English as a nation is fundamentally flawed. It is true that on a personal basis Normans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Celts can enjoy friendly relations with each other, but history shows clearly that their relationship is fragile when they deal with each other collectively.

It is time for signals to be given by Cyprus and the European Union that the Norman-English deserve equal treatment. We propose a Norman Republic of Southern England be established which Cyprus should recognise.

[halil]

DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW

The Cyprus conflict is viewed very differently by Turkish and Greek sides. While Greeks mark the 1974 military intervention of Turkey as the source of conflict, Turks believe that the real conflict started in 1963 with the Akritas Plan of Greek-Cypriots. As in most conflicts both parties view the other as the evil party; the one creating the conflict. Currently the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is presidented by Mehmet Ali Talat, and Turkey is presidented by Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The Greek president of the Republic of Cyprus is Tassos Nikolaou Papadopoulos, and the president of Greece is currently Karolos Papoulias. All play more or less a role in the current conflict, as did preciding leaders, which we will touch upon later. The conflict seems to be, however, mainly a business of state, since Cyprian refugees coming from both sides are often found living right next to each other in their new place of residence without any problems occuring. Many negotiations led to the conclusion that Cyprus should become a federation, but there was always some issue preventing the federation being formed. At the moment the conflict seems to be in a de-escalatory state, especially because of the EU's demand that the Cyprus issue be solved before Turkey can join the EU. Internationally there is a strong pressure on Turkey and Greece to solve the issue, but whether this will actually lead to a solution remains yet to be seen.

[halil]

TURKISH PERSPECTIVE

With the 1960 constitutional agreement the Republic of Cyprus was founded and everything seemed satisfactory for a while. However after some time President Makarios started to believe that the constitution gave more rights to Turkish-Cypriots than they really deserved. Thus, in 30th November 1963, 13 provisions of constitutional change package, which diminished the Turkish rights and even abolished the veto power of Vice-president Dr. Küçük, was submitted but vetoed immediately by the Turkish side. After that, in 21st December 1963, the Greek-side initiated the Akritas Plan which was basically aiming at an ethnic cleansing of Turkish-Cypriots. 30000 Turks were forced to leave their villages and the whole Turkish population fled to 3% of the whole Cyprus land. Civilian Turkish population, people without any means of arms, women, children were slain brutally. Greeks cut all the means of communication and transportation. Furthermore they put heavy economic constraints and isolated the Turkish population from the rest of the world. After that in 1964 UN intervened and sent a peacekeeping force. However, the administration of the island was then left only to the Greek side. In 1967, with the military coup in Greece the enosis-ideal become once again public. EOKA’s attacks against Turkish citizens increased, Turkish people were slain again and the others had to run away, and in 1974 a coup was made against Makarios by radical EOKA.
Following this Turkey asked the UK for a joint military intervention but the UK chose to remain not involved and thus Turkey, depending on 1960 Guarantor Agreement intervened in Cyprus: the Cyprus Peace Operation. In 1975 a population exchange occurred and finally two homogenous population were established: Greeks in the South, Turks in the North. Today the closed Maraş (Varosa) district in Gazi Magosa (Famagusta) is still kept and no one is allowed to enter. Evidence of the massacre that Greeks were guilty of is still there and thus kept alive by the Turkish Army as the legal basis of the intervention. Continuous debates on unification remained fruitless and the Greeks even wanted to expand their authority to the North. Because of uncooperative behavior and unacceptable terms of Greeks, finally the Turkish side, calling upon their right of self-determination, declared the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus? (TRNC) in 1983. However this state was not recognized internationally except by Turkey. And Republic of Cyprus (referred to as Greek Cypriot Administration in Southern Cyprus by Turkey and TRNC) was officially recognized as the only legal authority in the island. Since then again a great number of attempts were made to reach a resolution, they remained fruitless. The final solution plan put forward by Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general of the time, was questioned in referenda in both sides of Cyprus in 2004. While the Turkish side agreed to the plan, the answer from the Greek side was no. This ironic result of the referenda showed that it was Greeks who did not want a solution not Turks. And unfortunately resolution of Cyprus conflict is put forward as a prerequisite for Turkey’s accession to the EU, while there was not such a requirement for Southern Cyprus’ membership.

[GreekForumer]

DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEWTurks believe that the real conflict started in 1963 with the Akritas Plan of Greek-Cypriots. As in most conflicts both parties view the other as the evil party; the one creating the conflict.

The Cyprus problem started in 1954 when the TCs refused to participate in a referendum to democratically decide the fate of Cyprus.

[halil]

Turkish Cypriots Views :

Representatives of the Greek Cypriot administration refer repeatedly to the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as —occupied areas“
the only —occupation“ in Cyprus is the 44-year-long usurpation and continued
occupation of the seat of the —Government of the Republic of Cyprus“ by the Greek
Cypriot side. The Cyprus question did not come about as a result of the Turkish
intervention in 1974, as alleged by the Greek Cypriot side, but was created in 1963
when the Greek Cypriot wing of the Republic of Cyprus usurped, by force of arms,
the 1960 binational Republic and occupied the seat of the —government of Cyprus“,
forcefully ejecting the Turkish Cypriots from all state organs and subjecting them to
a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign between 1963 and 1974. The fact that a United
Nations peacekeeping force was dispatched to the island in 1964 confirms that the
Cyprus question began in 1963.

It should be recalled that the Turkish intervention was carried out in the wake
of a coup d‘état engineered by Greece and its Greek Cypriot collaborators on the
island. The intervention was carried out in accordance with Turkey‘s rights and
obligations under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee in order to prevent the forcible
annexation of the island to Greece and to save the Turkish Cypriot people from total
annihilation at the hands of the Greek Cypriots and the invading Greek troops. It
will be recalled that the then Greek Cypriot leader Archbishop Makarios, in his
address to the Security Council on 19 July 1974, confirmed that it was indeed
Greece that had invaded the island in 1974.
The Greek Cypriot representatives have also alleged that the issue of displaced
persons in Cyprus began in 1974 as an issue affecting only the Greek Cypriot side.
The truth of the matter is that the issue of displaced persons came about when one
fourth of the Turkish Cypriot population was rendered homeless between 1963-
1974, as a result of the Greek Cypriot onslaught, during which 103 Turkish Cypriot
villages were destroyed. Once again in 1974, in consequence of the Greek coup
d‘état, 65,000 Turkish Cypriots were forced to flee to the North to seek refuge in
safer areas.
It should be recalled, in this connection, that the question of displaced persons
was settled through the Voluntary Exchange of Populations Agreement reached
between the two sides at the third round of talks held at Vienna between 31 July and
2 August 1975. In accordance with this Agreement, which was implemented under
supervision of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP),
Turkish Cypriots moved to the North, and Greek Cypriots moved to the South.

[boomerang]

Representatives of the Greek Cypriot administration refer repeatedly to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as —occupied areas“ the only —occupation“ in Cyprus is the 44-year-long usurpation and continued occupation of the seat of the —Government of the Republic of Cyprus“ by the Greek Cypriot side.

You talk a lot at bayarak, but you sit on your ass, complain, moan and groan...Dektash had you imprisoned for 30 odd years and you didn't give a shit...Now momma turka wants EU entry, you start to moan?...can you also roll over and sit still on your ass if momma turka asks you?

Whats stopping you from wanting/claiming your rights back TODAY?

I know, it's because you have to return to legallities...ain't this right EFENDI from bayarak?

[observer]

The Cyprus problem started in 1954 when the TCs refused to participate in a referendum to democratically decide the fate of Cyprus.

A referendum organised, if I remember correctly, by the Greek Orthodox Church, a trully independent electoral body.

[GreekForumer]

A referendum organised, if I remember correctly, by the Greek Orthodox Church, a trully independent electoral body.

Excuse me? Did the Greek Orthodox Church present the results of the 1950 referendum as the will of 96% of ALL Cypriots
(TCs included) or only GCs? If the former, show me credible links, please.
If the latter, did the Greek Orthodox Church somehow manipulate the vote to obtain 96% ? Credible links, please.

The purpose of the 1950 referendum was to demonstrate to the world that, without a doubt, the GCs wanted Enosis with Greece.

From the fact that GCs made up 78% of Cyprus, we could say with certainty that at least 75% of ALL Cypriots wanted Enosis with Greece.

Anyway, I was not talking about the 1950 referendum but the one Greeks demanded in 1954.
Here is a newspaper headline from 1954.

TURKISH CYPRIOTS ON WAY; Group Will Argue for Keeping Island Under Britain

December 12, 1954, Sunday
Special to The New York Times.
Page 27, 304 words

DISPLAYING FIRST PARAGRAPH - ANKARA, Turkey, Dec. 11 -- Leaders of the Turkish minority in Cyprus left Ankara today en route the United Nations. They will oppose Greece's demand for a plebiscite.

Link

Observer, why don't you join a Quebec forum and argue that even if 75% (3 to 1) of Quebecers want to secede from Canada, they do not have a right to override the wishes of the other 25%. I am curious to see what sort of feedback you get from BOTH the secessionists and the Status Quoers.

[Nikitas]

Halil posted, among other things:

"as a result of the Greek Cypriot onslaught, during which 103 Turkish Cypriot
villages were destroyed. Once again in 1974, in consequence of the Greek coup
d‘état, 65,000 Turkish Cypriots were forced to flee to the North to seek refuge in
safer areas. "

Are you seriously suggesting that between Monday July 15 1974 and Friday night of the same week 65000 TaCs moved to the north? Are you nuts? Thankfully the time is well within living memory and some of us are not totally gaga and can recall what was going on during that week.

As for the voluntary movement of population, it was a one way move, of TCs only, to the northern part occupied by the Turkish army and it was done with British pressure and participation. The GCs in the north had already been violently expelled by the Turks from July 20 till the end of August. So give us a break with these falsifications of events!

[halil]

Halil posted, among other things:

"as a result of the Greek Cypriot onslaught, during which 103 Turkish Cypriot
villages were destroyed. Once again in 1974, in consequence of the Greek coup
d‘état, 65,000 Turkish Cypriots were forced to flee to the North to seek refuge in
safer areas. "

Are you seriously suggesting that between Monday July 15 1974 and Friday night of the same week 65000 TaCs moved to the north? Are you nuts? Thankfully the time is well within living memory and some of us are not totally gaga and can recall what was going on during that week.

As for the voluntary movement of population, it was a one way move, of TCs only, to the northern part occupied by the Turkish army and it was done with British pressure and participation. The GCs in the north had already been violently expelled by the Turks from July 20 till the end of August. So give us a break with these falsifications of events!

[b]1974 a coup was made against Makarios by radical EOKA.
Following this Turkey asked the UK for a joint military intervention but the UK chose to remain not involved and thus Turkey, depending on 1960 Guarantor Agreement intervened in Cyprus: the Cyprus Peace Operation. In 1975 a population exchange occurred and finally two homogenous population were established: Greeks in the South, , Turks in the North.

exchange happened by agreements .
writing about this claims didn't finish yet. you can find what was the agreement about population exchange in1975 later on.