Greek Cypriot side should play close attention to Turkey
(archive article - Thursday, September 25, 2008)
Sir,
I would like to refer to Hugh Pope’s piece in the September 21 edition of the Sunday Mail entitled ‘Armenia and Turkey score in the match for peace’.
Every Cypriot public figure should take the trouble to read and digest its wise words.
If ever there was a wake-up call to the divisive and negative pronouncements of the leading lights of DIKO, EDEK, assorted two-bit political and media minnows and the ecclesiastical purveyor of gobbledygook, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, this article said it all.
The half century of bankrupt policies, as promoted by certain former Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders and the aforementioned worthies, are fast coming to an end.
Dare I say it, certain sections of the Greek Cypriot ‘side’ need to wise up politically and endeavour to take a leaf out of Turkish politicians’ way of conducting foreign policy. You never see them indulging in the internecine warfare that we witness here on a daily basis, especially in foreign affairs.
Turkey always projects a united front as demonstrated by their cleverly conducted and nurtured relationships with Armenia, Russia and their immediate neighbours. More recently, the rapprochement between Greece and Turkey has seen a State visit by the Greek Prime Minister to Turkey and huge year on year increases in the volume of trade between their two countries.
In contrast to the above, the latest manifestation of Cypriot political hara-kiri is ex-Finance and Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou’s vicious attack on DISY Chairman Nicos Anastasiades. The former trumpets his “patriotic” credentials and accuses Mr Anastasiades of not being “patriotic” in the EOKA struggle. It should be pointed out that the latter was in elementary school at the time.
“Mother” Greece will a best only to continue to offer the customary platitudes of support towards the Greek Cypriots as laid out in UN resolutions: Nothing more. If anyone in Cyprus seriously thinks that Greece is likely to do a spot of sabre-ratting, they’ll be sadly disappointed. It simply won’t happen. They’re had their fingers burnt in Cyprus too many times.
I therefore urge Cypriot public figures to stop living in cloud-cuckoo-land and save their oratorical skills for the bathroom mirror. Their futile attempts to torpedo the peace process must not be allowed to succeed.
The latest pragmatic accommodation between Turkey and Armenia should also be telling them to spare us from their incessant, patriotic exhortations of Hellenism as these are well past their sell-by date. They should therefore ride sedately into the sunset and retire gracefully.
I would therefore like to refer Mr Christodoulou and his ilk to the quotation of the 18th century man of letters and lexicographer, Samuel Johnson, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”.
Gavin Jones,
Lemba, Paphos
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