Cyprus-Forum.com

[umit07]

Firstly this guy Mehmet Hasguler is A TC, who lectures at a university in Turkey. My opinion is that that reporter either missunderstood or manipulated the article.

[Tim Drayton]

People should realise that Turkey has invested a lot of political capital in the partition of Cyprus. The man in the street in Turkey has been bombarded with propaganda to convince him that a large Turkish military presence is necessary on the island otherwise the Turkish Cypriots will be murdered in their beds at night. It is no simple matter to backtrack from such a position. This will require some kind of face saving formula. I think if a Turkish University professor is flying a kite for this kind of "Ottoman Solution" which essentially involves abandoning the position of partition, it should be welcomed. Provided this "Ottoman Solution" does not involve a return to anachronisms like a ruling community and a ruled community, and instead simply harks back to an era of ethnic harmony on the island, I don't see the problem. If the Turkish elite is ever to adopt a radically different Cyprus policy, will have to use some kind of nationalistic spin to sell it to the populace given the way that the flames of nationalist fervour have been fanned up in the past over Cyprus.

Tim, are we to be mind readers. A bit of explanation would be welcome from the author.

I take your point. I am sure he gave a much more detailed interview to Zaman newspaper, and they just selected the bits that it suited them to publish.

Yes, these come across as hollow slogans. I don't think it matters as far as domestic consumption in Turkey is concerned. The presidential race in the RoC appears wide open at the moment, and I think Turkey sees the need to have various strategies ready according to who is elected. All that it needs is a simple slogan to sell reunification to the common man, if circumstances dictate that this is where Turkish policy must head. If the average Turk can swell his breast in pride because an "Ottoman Solution" is being applied, this is all that is needed. Most people in Turkey are fairly ignorant about Cyprus and won't want to know the fine details of any settlement.

By the way, Mehmet Hasgüler is a Cypriot who works at a Turkish mainland university. He has written two books about Cyprus; for details in Turkish see:

http://www.yenisayfa.com/pgs/prdA/prd_a ... cSID=sCaar

I don't really believe that Zaman newspaper did full justice to his views in this particular article.

[DT.]

People should realise that Turkey has invested a lot of political capital in the partition of Cyprus. The man in the street in Turkey has been bombarded with propaganda to convince him that a large Turkish military presence is necessary on the island otherwise the Turkish Cypriots will be murdered in their beds at night. It is no simple matter to backtrack from such a position. This will require some kind of face saving formula. I think if a Turkish University professor is flying a kite for this kind of "Ottoman Solution" which essentially involves abandoning the position of partition, it should be welcomed. Provided this "Ottoman Solution" does not involve a return to anachronisms like a ruling community and a ruled community, and instead simply harks back to an era of ethnic harmony on the island, I don't see the problem. If the Turkish elite is ever to adopt a radically different Cyprus policy, will have to use some kind of nationalistic spin to sell it to the populace given the way that the flames of nationalist fervour have been fanned up in the past over Cyprus.

Tim, are we to be mind readers. A bit of explanation would be welcome from the author.

I take your point. I am sure he gave a much more detailed interview to Zaman newspaper, and they just selected the bits that it suited them to publish.

Yes, these come across as hollow slogans. I don't think it matters as far as domestic consumption in Turkey is concerned. The presidential race in the RoC appears wide open at the moment, and I think Turkey sees the need to have various strategies ready according to who is elected. All that it needs is a simple slogan to sell reunification to the common man, if circumstances dictate that this is where Turkish policy must head. If the average Turk can swell his breast in pride because an "Ottoman Solution" is being applied, this is all that is needed. Most people in Turkey are fairly ignorant about Cyprus and won't want to know the fine details of any settlement.

By the way, Mehmet Hasgüler is a Cypriot who works at a Turkish mainland university. He has written two books about Cyprus; for details in Turkish see:

http://www.yenisayfa.com/pgs/prdA/prd_a ... cSID=sCaar

I don't really believe that Zaman newspaper did full justice to his views in this particular article.

well don't uncover the whole plot man!! Zan was marching up and down The Mall singing "the Ottoman solution is coming"

[denizaksulu]

People should realise that Turkey has invested a lot of political capital in the partition of Cyprus. The man in the street in Turkey has been bombarded with propaganda to convince him that a large Turkish military presence is necessary on the island otherwise the Turkish Cypriots will be murdered in their beds at night. It is no simple matter to backtrack from such a position. This will require some kind of face saving formula. I think if a Turkish University professor is flying a kite for this kind of "Ottoman Solution" which essentially involves abandoning the position of partition, it should be welcomed. Provided this "Ottoman Solution" does not involve a return to anachronisms like a ruling community and a ruled community, and instead simply harks back to an era of ethnic harmony on the island, I don't see the problem. If the Turkish elite is ever to adopt a radically different Cyprus policy, will have to use some kind of nationalistic spin to sell it to the populace given the way that the flames of nationalist fervour have been fanned up in the past over Cyprus.

Tim, are we to be mind readers. A bit of explanation would be welcome from the author.

I take your point. I am sure he gave a much more detailed interview to Zaman newspaper, and they just selected the bits that it suited them to publish.

Yes, these come across as hollow slogans. I don't think it matters as far as domestic consumption in Turkey is concerned. The presidential race in the RoC appears wide open at the moment, and I think Turkey sees the need to have various strategies ready according to who is elected. All that it needs is a simple slogan to sell reunification to the common man, if circumstances dictate that this is where Turkish policy must head. If the average Turk can swell his breast in pride because an "Ottoman Solution" is being applied, this is all that is needed. Most people in Turkey are fairly ignorant about Cyprus and won't want to know the fine details of any settlement.

By the way, Mehmet Hasgüler is a Cypriot who works at a Turkish mainland university. He has written two books about Cyprus; for details in Turkish see:

http://www.yenisayfa.com/pgs/prdA/prd_a ... cSID=sCaar

I don't really believe that Zaman newspaper did full justice to his views in this particular article.

Thanks Tim. there is always the danger of misquotation and 'lines out of context'. Thanks for the links.

[Kikapu]

Firstly this guy Mehmet Hasguler is A TC, who lectures at a university in Turkey. My opinion is that that reporter either missunderstood or manipulated the article.

The whole article cannot possibly be "misunderstood" Umit07. To get this much of "misunderstanding", the original article had to be as long as the "War and Peace" book.

[umit07]

Kikapu

"Except for the radicals, the majority of the Greek Cypriots will not oppose the re-establishment of the Ottoman-era peace that lasted for 307 years on the island," he says.

"It is necessary to restore the Ottoman understanding of peace, tolerance and initiative. The Cyprus dispute can only be settled with such an understanding."

I think that the only thing he means to say is that people have more tolerance towards each other and have initiative to solve the dispute.

[denizaksulu]

Kikapu

"Except for the radicals, the majority of the Greek Cypriots will not oppose the re-establishment of the Ottoman-era peace that lasted for 307 years on the island," he says.

"It is necessary to restore the Ottoman understanding of peace, tolerance and initiative. The Cyprus dispute can only be settled with such an understanding."

I think that the only thing he means to say is that people have more tolerance towards each other and have initiative to solve the dispute.

I dearly hope for a mutually agreed upon solution , but what would the so called 'Kemalists' say re: returning to anything akin to 'Ottomanism'? Obviously Hasguler is no 'Kemalist'(imo)

[Nikitas]

"a large Turkish military presence is necessary on the island otherwise the Turkish Cypriots will be murdered in their beds at night."

Tim, those are the beds they buy flat packed from Ikea?

[Tim Drayton]

"a large Turkish military presence is necessary on the island otherwise the Turkish Cypriots will be murdered in their beds at night."

Tim, those are the beds they buy flat packed from Ikea?

Precisely, that discourse died a death the day the gates along the Green Line opened.
However, you should realise that the populace in mainland Turkey is fed a very carefully controlled flow of news from Cyprus and I doubt if the average Turk realises the extent to which freedom of movement now exists on the island.