Viewpoint wrote:You make it sound so simple and uncomplicated like we were all living in Disneyland and that we rushed things by inviting Turkey to arrive and mess things up for us otherwise we would have a better deal and living in harmony.
Why do you do that? we fucked up bad the years leading up to 1974 was hell for us and our only hope for survival was for Turkey to arrive and save us from a shallow grave otherwise over the last 31 years we would have been long forgotten....try and be honest with yourself first...its this sttitude that stokes the fire of mistrust between our communities.
No viewpoint! I do not make anything sound simple and uncomplicated! This is not what I said! However, compared to the situation between 1963 and 1967, the situation of the TC community between 1968-1974 had substantially improved and if the TCs wanted to make full use of it, they could have had almost the same opportunities with the GCs in utilising their properties or engaging in Commerce and trade. It is a fact that during those years, not even one single TC has been heart by any GC, at least for reasons relating to the differences between the two communities. The only exception was the settlement of the political issue, which as I said above, had gone into a very promising pathway for a final settlement. Of course you must not forget that we (the GCs) were also living under a constant psychological and physical threat due to the fact that on the one hand there was all the evidence for a continues Turkish military build-up towards a forthcoming invasion and the TC community was not innocent at all for this threat to appear so immanent, due to the fact that they were working in close hand with Turkey for its successful implementation; and on the other hand we had the Eoka B and Junta which were threatening the stability of the GC community with their pro-union actions and coup threats against Makarios. This had naturally continued to influence the relationship between the two communities and it is for this reason that there was a lot of mistrust in allowing completely unrestricted freedom of movement in all the activities that the TCs wanted to engage. Your leadership during those years (78-74,) although the GC side had all the intention to completely normalise your civilian status, was not helpful at all because they were only concerned and preparing for the day that Turkey would have eventually made it and intervene, in order to partition the island.
In 1974, Turkey had chosen to make full exploitation of the unfortunate coup against Makarios and ceased the opportunity to invade with the full help and co-operation of the TCs, in order to divide the island as the military it was planning to do so since 1950s. The threat against the TC community by the coup was only theoretical, because from the moment Makarios escaped from Cyprus and went to the UN, it was only a matter of time before the coupists and the Greek Junta, coming under international pressure both by the superpowers, UN, and the two guarantor powers, would have yielded power back to Makarios. This pressure had almost begun from day one of the coup and the coupists would have no choice other than stepping down very soon, set aside dare to attack the TCs and begin killing them.
Today, you are celebrating the successful outcome of Turkey’s and your chauvinist leadership’s long term planning for partition and we are mourning the loss of 1/3 of our homeland and all our properties.
You have to know one thing though! Life is a circle!
Our yesterday’s celebrations are our today’s mourning, and your today’s celebrations will equally and easily turn out to be your tomorrow’s mourning, if you do not become sensible enough to make it a common celebrating tomorrow! And I am sorry to see that you are not that sensible so far in your demands, as you are still trying to capitalise in full on the “fait accompli” of the Turkish invasion and occupation!
