Cyprus-Forum.com

[Piratis]

How can Cyprus ever hope to rule itself.Cyprus got itself into a great position in the 90s.The island was recieving huge investment from abroad,companies were crying out for land and business opportunities,the island was prospering.Then some fool said let's look at joining the EU and maybe we should adopt the Euro.Sounds great,money will be on offer,nationals will get richer.
You have now joined a family which will dictate how you live and what you do with your land,your borders will be open to all and in time the Cypriot will no longer own what is theirs.

Yes purdey but the decision to join the EU was a democratic choice of Cypriots, just like we have the choice to leave from EU if we wish. What we ask from foreigners (UK/Turkey) is to stop imposing on us their will and let us make the choices in a democratic way for our own island.

[Jerry]

This is something the TCs never seem to grasp, it was the special status awarded to them in 1960 that, instead of protecting them, was resented by the GCs. Their mainland forebears had ruled the island for 300 years, they had spent the last years of British colonialism brutally policing the Greek Cypriots and yet they still expected to have disproportionate power after independence. Their only response is " look what you did in 1963". What the hell did they expect to happen?

[greek75]

purdey, you remind me of Makarios ... independent with Tito and Nasser etc.
Cyprus refuse to choose a side during cold war and look were that got Cyprus (1974).
Cyprus is too small and too important to decide its own future. 10000 years of history of the same thing as 1974 prove it.
This time we chose a side. Maybe good maybe not. That's for history to decide. We gave away some of our sovereign rights so our people won't have to die to defend them. We gave them away to a place we believe is fair, that we have common history and culture and that their best interest is also our best interest.
We live in a globalized world my friend and as such we either choose to move forward or join the third world.

[T_C]

Well why did you agree to it then? What did YOU expect to happen when you tried to go back on your word? The simple fact is you thought you could get away with it...

[purdey]

This is what I do not understand,you were moving forward.You had little help in the past but you were growing and the world acknowledged that.You then join the European family which on the suface provides billions to it's members but denies you of your sovreignty.
The EU is very attractive when giving away money,but they do ask for it back,genrally with interest and loss of independant rights.

[greek75]

T_C you are opening up a huge chapter of our history. Why we accepted the Zurich agreement ...
Firstly we didn't have much of a choice since the only nation on our defence, Greece, accepted it. Keep in mind that at that time Cyprus as a nation of any form did not exist. GC were dependent on Greece and TC on Turkey with the UK taking full advantage of it.
Cyprus had no real polititians with any sort of experience in international politics whatsoever. Makarios if you recall was against the Zurich agreement because he believed that it could not work.
But without any options he had to sign.
Kutchuk, a very reasonable man in my opinion was in favor since these were the instructions from Turkey and during 1960 and 1963 he made his best to make it work. But the instructions from Turkey were different and with Greece being in ruins after the civil war between communists and right wing ... well the results are very well known to all.

[purdey]

Piratis,you can no longer make your own decisions.You have signed away your rights,to the European family.I see it in business in Cyprus,companies are moving in on a weekly basis,great for the economy but not good for the Cypriot.They bring there workforce with them,they don't want local labour who they have to train.
I applaud your democracy,the days of colonialsm have long gone,we are now moving into the realm of dog eat dog,there are unfortunately winners and losers.
Please tell me what the rich think of the poor in Cyprus,probably the same as other Euoropeans,they don't give them a second thought.

[greek75]

An amazing growth during the 90s due to the fall and instability of the former soviet union we had a lot of foreign investment from Russian - Ukrainian money. We didn't make anything, don't have any industry or any serious exports.
The thing is the Soviet Union can only falls once. The prospect of the EU though, mainteined that investement flow allowing Cypurs to have a steadty growth rate of around 4%. Due to the location of Cypurs potential for more investment from the EU is highly possible. Microsoft is investing in a research center, the Cyprus commercial fleet is the 3ed largest in the EU and growing. To sustain such a growth you need investment something the Cyprus GDP cannot afford. For example for such a huge fleet the Limassol and Larnaca ports are rediculusly small. With EU funding it can be brought upto standards, and pay it off slowly with interest ... yes with interest what is wrong in that?
Say you want to expand your business since you have a great idea that you believe will bring you money but don't have the cash, what do you do? You borrow so you can realize your idea and with the profits you get from that realization of your idea you pay of your loan, yes with interest, but it is interest well deserved if you made your calculations correctly.

[umit07]

The kind of "political equality" TC's want is that in any type of settlement they are treated as an equal party. In a federal system both states would come together forming a "united cyprus". All federal systems don't have to be the same just look at the way belgium is run and it's the headquartrs to your beloved EU.

[purdey]

Russian and Ukranian money was no real help to Cyprus.It was never going to be a substainable source,the majority was black money and it came with it's own sordid problems.It moved the property market up the ladder but that has now backfired with ordinary Cypriots finding it hard to get on the market.
There is nothing wrong with borrowning but paying back loans based on foreign business takeover is not good for Cyprus.I am never critical of the ordinary Cypriot,I believe it is time they reaped the rewards of what the EU has to offer,I just hope it does not end up with Europe calling the shots and reaping most of the rewards.