Cyprus-Forum.com

[Sega]

As quite minorities who call themselves Muslim Greeks they are free to do what ever they want

Is that even possible, if a Greek person converts to Muslim is he not a Turk and if a Turkish person converts to Christian is he not Greek.

This is real confusing for me, I thought the only thing that separated GC and TC were religion. Is there such thing as a Greek Muslim, and where would this Greek Muslim be found?

[raymanuva]

thats what i kept saying, religion should be outlawed... seriarsely

[zan]

As quite minorities who call themselves Muslim Greeks they are free to do what ever they want

Is that even possible, if a Greek person converts to Muslim is he not a Turk and if a Turkish person converts to Christian is he not Greek.

This is real confusing for me, I thought the only thing that separated GC and TC were religion. Is there such thing as a Greek Muslim, and where would this Greek Muslim be found?

Here's one place.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Muslims .......but that is not what I am talking about. The ones in Crete are not allowed to call themselves Turkish even if they are. They then become Muslims with Greek nationality. Muslim Greeks.

[Sega]

As quite minorities who call themselves Muslim Greeks they are free to do what ever they want

Is that even possible, if a Greek person converts to Muslim is he not a Turk and if a Turkish person converts to Christian is he not Greek.

This is real confusing for me, I thought the only thing that separated GC and TC were religion. Is there such thing as a Greek Muslim, and where would this Greek Muslim be found?

Here's one place.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Muslims .......but that is not what I am talking about. The ones in Crete are not allowed to call themselves Turkish even if they are. They then become Muslims with Greek nationality. Muslim Greeks.

Well thats silly for starters, they should call themselves Turkish if that is what they are. I read the article you provided and it seemed that as a result of speaking Greek and settling in non-greek speaking country they were refered to as Greek-Muslims. However many of these have Turkish identity. It's like a hybrid of people, they even take Greek cultures and merge it into their culture making them no longer like the Turks from Turkey. Thanks for the info zan.

By the way I also found this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretan_Muslims, it goes more indepth on the topic I think.

[shahmaran]

You fail to grasp the notion that it is our say-so that grants you the right to stay on our island.

Thats where you are absolutely wrong, you have no more rights to this island then i do, and if you insist that you do thats your problem but i dont have to listen to you and can just go and do my own thing, as i have done

What are you REALLY gonna do about it?

[phoenix]

You fail to grasp the notion that it is our say-so that grants you the right to stay on our island.

Thats where you are absolutely wrong, you have no more rights to this island then i do, and if you insist that you do thats your problem but i dont have to listen to you and can just go and do my own thing, as i have done

What are you REALLY gonna do about it?

Well that is exactly where YOU are wrong shah . . . you have rights only so long as you don't sell / gift / donate the island to the Turks.

Oh silly me, you've already given what was not yours to the Turks to do with as they like.

What is going to happen, dear ex-compatriot, is that the EU will finally tell Turkey to stop begging to be let into Europe. Once that is established . . . Turkey will be forced to remove her invading troops and settlers from EU soil ie Cyprus.

[zan]

Is Turkey’s crisis proof we were right to say ‘no’?

EACH time Turkey is going through a crisis, there is a renewal of the argument that it would never have implemented the Annan plan and, therefore, a solution based on it was far from being a guaranteed option. The manner in which this argument has been used by those who had stoutly supported a ‘no’ vote contains a number of contradictions. Their 2004 position was that it was a blatantly pro-Turkish plan, dissolving our state and turning it into a Turkish protectorate. Today, they have recanted this argument and admit that since the plan was not so favourable for Turkey it had every reason to circumvent its implementation.

It is a politically naive position to argue that “since Erdogan cannot elect a President of Turkey how could he implement the solution of the Cyprus problem”. If the Cyprus problem had been solved, the whole of the island would have been part of Europe. Today, the acquis is suspended in the occupied areas and the whole island is only theoretically part of Europe. The European Union is not concerned by the uncontrolled influx of mainland Turkish settlers but only by the danger that they could easily move to the south. In other words, a solution of the Cyprus problem would have meant that the borders of Europe were in Kyrenia. Today, the de facto reality is that they end in the Ayios Pavlos suburb of Nicosia.

A failure to implement the solution on behalf of Turkey would have meant that the sovereignty of an EU member-state was under dispute, a development that by itself would have been sufficient to cause extensive complications to the functioning of the European Union.

Such a move by Turkey would be tantamount to a Russian attack against Estonia. It is inconceivable that this step could ever have taken place because Europe would never tolerate it. Does Turkey have the strength to confront the whole of Europe? Is it possible that the EU would accept this large-scale deviation from what had been agreed?

Moreover, the Security Council and the United States were the guarantors of the agreement and it is inconceivable that they would have allowed Turkey to jeopardise an agreement for resolving an international dispute, which was projected as a model for similar disputes around the world.

Is Turkey so strong that it can brazenly confront the whole world? Finally, if Cyprus cannot trust the European Union and the United Nations as credible guarantors of a solution, then why are we insisting that the Cyprus issue should be resolved through negotiations?

If in 2004, with the whole world standing by our side, we believed that the guarantees for implementing the solution were not strong enough, then what more can we gain from an agreement based on the July 8 procedure, which oddly enough is supported by those who have been arguing that Turkey would never have implemented the solution? Unless the July 8 agreement is yet another communications ploy, like the one of 2003, when we never tired of accusing Denktash in various international fora that he accepted the Annan plan only as a point of reference, whereas our side believed it was the basis for a solution!

Concerns about the implementation of a solution could easily be viewed from the opposite perspective. We had to predict the future complications arising in the path of Turkey’s accession process, either because of internal reasons (such as the current crisis) or because of external ones (such as the election of Nicolas Sarkozy). We had to take advantage of that particular moment in history, when Turkey was fervently seeking a date for the start of accession negotiations with the EU and there was a strong prospect that it would join as a member.

Instead, we have followed a policy based on the pursuit of a solution in the long term, while simultaneously taking advantage of our position as an EU member. Such a policy, however, carries bigger and more dangerous risks than those that would have resulted had we accepted the proposed plan.

Another arguments used, and one that has a wide appeal among public opinion, is that we would have dissolved our state and left ourselves exposed.

Our state is not a simple object that can be lost. A state consists of territory, population, institutions and its recognition. Our state would have become stronger and bigger. Stretching from the Cape of Saint Andreas to the harbour of Paphos, it was going to become a member of the most powerful political and economic club in the world.

The Turkish Cypriots, for political, economic and, even, for reasons of self interest, would have chosen Europe over Anatolia. Through a proper policy (not like the one we followed between 1960 and 1963), the implementation of the solution would not be dependent on Turkey. Any attempt by Turkey to try and complicate the situation could become a boomerang and irrevocably cut the umbilical cord between Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots. Provided, however, that we had leaders with a vision and not scare mongers.

Makarios Drousiotis

Cyprus Mail

20/05/2007

[shahmaran]

You fail to grasp the notion that it is our say-so that grants you the right to stay on our island.

Thats where you are absolutely wrong, you have no more rights to this island then i do, and if you insist that you do thats your problem but i dont have to listen to you and can just go and do my own thing, as i have done

What are you REALLY gonna do about it?

Well that is exactly where YOU are wrong shah . . . you have rights only so long as you don't sell / gift / donate the island to the Turks.

Oh silly me, you've already given what was not yours to the Turks to do with as they like.

What is going to happen, dear ex-compatriot, is that the EU will finally tell Turkey to stop begging to be let into Europe. Once that is established . . . Turkey will be forced to remove her invading troops and settlers from EU soil ie Cyprus.

No, that is exactly what YOU have done and still keep doing, which is why our island is divided today, and instead of understanding your mistakes you choose to ignore them and keep preach more ethnic division!

Minds like yours are exactly what is making this ordeal perpetuate.

[humanist]

Turkish Cypriots have become a minority in their own country

so what?

[zan]

As quite minorities who call themselves Muslim Greeks they are free to do what ever they want

Is that even possible, if a Greek person converts to Muslim is he not a Turk and if a Turkish person converts to Christian is he not Greek.

This is real confusing for me, I thought the only thing that separated GC and TC were religion. Is there such thing as a Greek Muslim, and where would this Greek Muslim be found?

Here's one place.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Muslims .......but that is not what I am talking about. The ones in Crete are not allowed to call themselves Turkish even if they are. They then become Muslims with Greek nationality. Muslim Greeks.

Well thats silly for starters, they should call themselves Turkish if that is what they are. I read the article you provided and it seemed that as a result of speaking Greek and settling in non-greek speaking country they were refered to as Greek-Muslims. However many of these have Turkish identity. It's like a hybrid of people, they even take Greek cultures and merge it into their culture making them no longer like the Turks from Turkey. Thanks for the info zan.

By the way I also found this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretan_Muslims, it goes more indepth on the topic I think.

Here is something else for you....Pretty soon we will not be able to call Turkish Delights so anymore........Cypriot Delights?????Hahahahahahaha


EU trademark for Geroskipou loukoumi

EU trademark for Geroskipou loukoumi

Sticky sweet wins prestige label

Loukoumi Geroskipou is officially secured as a product of protected geographical indication within the European Union, meaning no other country can use the same trademark.

As there were no objections to the name, the sticky, sugary sweet now has a distinctive quality standard attached to it.

The village of Geroskipou in Paphos is the island's centre for loukoumi production. Loukoumi Geroskipou can only be called such if it is made within the designated boundaries of that municipality.

It is said to be the first such Cypriot product to get a PGI designation but this does not prevent other countries producing loukoumi and calling it such. Although loukoumi has not been made exclusively Cypriot by this decision it does gain a higher international profile of what is commonly known as "Cyprus Delights".

The company Aphrodite Yeroskipos Delights made the successful PGI application bid in late 2003, months before Cyprus joined the EU.

Exclusive

"This decision means that no other company can use the name Loukoumi Geroskipou but it also means that any other area, like Larnaca or Limassol, can use the word Loukoumi as long they state geographical origin," said Aphrodite Yeroskipou owner George Gabriel.

"Nobody can sell it as plain loukoumi, it has to have a regional prefix," he added.

Gavriel said getting the trade name was a matter of prestige but making the word loukoumi exclusive to Cyprus would need government action.

The move has caught Turkey off-guard, as it has no official trademark protection for its jealously guarded "Turkish Delight" sweets, or lokum.

Loukoumi-style sweets are also popular in Greece and Lebanon.

Gabriel's company, founded in 1895, produces 400 tons of Loukoumi each year, or about half the island's annual production. His target is to double output within a year.

The law of protected geographical indications in the European Union governs the use of certain descriptions in relation to food, agricultural products, spirits, aromatised drinks and wines. In particular, the use of certain terms that indicate the geographical origin of the product, known as geographical indications in international intellectual property law, is restricted in a similar way to trade marks. This protection forms part of the common agricultural policy of the European Union.



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