Cyprus-Forum.com

[Main_Source]

Turkey’s 30,000 troops in Cyprus. We’ll modern or not, if they wanted to use them, wouldn’t they have already done this? - the Greek Cypriot needs to be more concerned about family financial stability and fiscal spending than some 18 year-old Turkish conscript.

bullshit, why should we have foreign troops on our land? Why shouldn't Greek Cypriots be worried about the same army who caused 200,000 refugees? Who are you to say what the Greek Cypriot should be worried about?[/quote]

[JustAnAmerican]

It is not the same Army.

Turkey’s 30,000 troops in Cyprus. We’ll modern or not, if they wanted to use them, wouldn’t they have already done this? - the Greek Cypriot needs to be more concerned about family financial stability and fiscal spending than some 18 year-old Turkish conscript.

bullshit, why should we have foreign troops on our land? Why shouldn't Greek Cypriots be worried about the same army who caused 200,000 refugees? Who are you to say what the Greek Cypriot should be worried about?

[/quote]

Source, You really need to go look at these troops. We are not talking about British SAS or Paras. They are minimally funded and poorly trained. Some units have no real wheeled mobility. Their equipment is hit and miss. Now maybe 30,000 troops meant something in 1974, but trust me go take a look. They also have no supply mobility or encrypted communications. I.e. if they moved south, they don’t have enough working trucks to keep them supplied and fed AND if they moved south everyone would know it radio wise in about 10 minutes.
I was forced to give two Turkish soldiers a ride two weeks ago as I passed a Turkish Army checkpoint near Kryenia. After they were in the car, I offered them a MRE (like a little partially hydrated-meal) they had no idea what it was, because they have never been on a field exercise where you eat this kind of food.

[Main_Source]

what does that information mean to people who were forced from there houses in 74? Are you telling me that the Turkish army has deteriorated THAT MUCH in thirty odd years?

Why should we have a foreign army, who have been fed the utmost lies about Greeks from the Turkish government, on our island?

and it IS the same army...its still from Turkey, it's got the same ignorant mentality behind it and its generals have the final say on Turkey's foreign policy.

[brother]

You could say the same about the national guard and the greek soilders in the south.

[JustAnAmerican]

Source,
It ain’t the same Army. I have seen them, I have talked to them about training opportunities, pay, and conscription length. As long as you over rate their presence and make it an issue, they will be there through the negotiation of the next Annan plan. Because to GC’s, like your self, (rightfully so or not), to you their presence makes a difference more than it does to that settler.
We had the same issue in the US after the Civil War. First off, there are very few buildings in the Southern part of the US that are over 100 years old. Why? Because the Union soldiers burned them all down. No one talks about what we did to each other. For 50 years they stationed troops in southern cities to “pacify” any further rebellion. And eventually they left. The Turkish Army will one day leave also.
I had to go reread my previous posts; I never justify the troops existence. I am just saying they are of no consequence. Remove it as an issue and you take away its bargaining power.

If you think they do not need to be there then can you and the other G/C guarantee most T/Cs safety?

Friends of mine stayed a resort casino in the north last weekend. Every day there were soldiers working to cut the lawn and doing gardening in the hotel’s park. Why were the soldiers allowed to maintain a privately owned Casino? (In uniform) Later the friends saw that on Saturday and Sunday the soldiers are allowed to eat in hotel cafeteria for free. And why would a Turkish Army officer allow his troops to trade gardening labor for food? Because the Army does not have enough money to feed them.

[Kifeas]

Source,
It ain’t the same Army. I have seen them, I have talked to them about training opportunities, pay, and conscription length. As long as you over rate their presence and make it an issue, they will be there through the negotiation of the next Annan plan. Because to GC’s, like your self, (rightfully so or not), to you their presence makes a difference more than it does to that settler.
We had the same issue in the US after the Civil War. First off, there are very few buildings in the Southern part of the US that are over 100 years old. Why? Because the Union soldiers burned them all down. No one talks about what we did to each other. For 50 years they stationed troops in southern cities to “pacify” any further rebellion. And eventually they left. The Turkish Army will one day leave also.
I had to go reread my previous posts; I never justify the troops existence. I am just saying they are of no consequence. Remove it as an issue and you take away its bargaining power.

If you think they do not need to be there then can you and the other G/C guarantee most T/Cs safety?

Friends of mine stayed a resort casino in the north last weekend. Every day there were soldiers working to cut the lawn and doing gardening in the hotel’s park. Why were the soldiers allowed to maintain a privately owned Casino? (In uniform) Later the friends saw that on Saturday and Sunday the soldiers are allowed to eat in hotel cafeteria for free. And why would a Turkish Army officer allow his troops to trade gardening labor for food? Because the Army does not have enough money to feed them.

JustAnAmerican,
Are you just saying that Turkey, a country spending more than USD 10 billions a year on armaments and maintains the third largest army in Nato, has no enough money to feed 40,000 soldiers in Cyprus? It sounds too good to be true, imo.

[JustAnAmerican]

Kifeas,
I am just reporting what I and other people saw.

10 billion on defense spending is only 3% of Turkey’s total GDP. That is a drop in the bucket. Most countries defense spending is up around 10 to 15%. The US and the UK are closer to 20%.

Thank you for the figure. When you take in to the fact the Turks have more men consuming less resources, you soundly prove what I have been saying all along, the Turkish Army is under funded, lacks training, mobility, and offensiveness.

[insan]

bullshit, why should we have foreign troops on our land? Why shouldn't Greek Cypriots be worried about the same army who caused 200,000 refugees? Who are you to say what the Greek Cypriot should be worried about

In the mid 60s until 1974 Turkey had 650 legal troops in Cyprus while Greece and GCs had over 20.000 illegal troops in Cyprus. The so-called national guard was formed in mid-60s in order to kick Turkey out and make Cyprus a Hellen dominated Island. From 1967 until 1974 noone but Turkey stopped Hellenes terrorizing whole Cyprus with over 20.000 illegal troops and EOKA- B thugs. When Turkey intervened with its thousands of troops, ELDYK and the so-called national guard already had over 20.000 illegal troops in Cyprus.

What about today? The illegal, so-called national guard is still there with 17.000 troops and 70.000 armed reservists. ELDYK is still there with 4000 troops. The military expenditures of GCs have never been less than the military expenditures of TCs.

But as always I see the same habitual behaviours from the same members of this forum: "Greeks are angels, Turkey is Satan. TCs are hostages of the Satan."


Hahahahahahaha! Some people will never change! Particularly the ruling elite of Hellenes and the arrogant, so-called intellectuals of Hellenes!

[brother]

How you doing insan gardas, nice to have your input back.

[-mikkie2-]

10 billion on defense spending is only 3% of Turkey’s total GDP. That is a drop in the bucket. Most countries defense spending is up around 10 to 15%. The US and the UK are closer to 20%.

????????

The UK spends 20% of GDP on defense??

That is not so.

The annual defense budget in the UK is around £30billion. GDP of the UK is around £1000billion. Do the maths and tell me if the UK spends 20% of GDP on defense! It is the UK that spends around 3% of GDP on defense. Turkey I belive spends a whole lot more in GDP terms than the UK.

As for the US, I don't really know.