Cyprus-Forum.com

[Omer Seyhan]

After reading the posts of members of this forum who would rather die than to be a Cypriot without a prefix (Greek or Turkish) I want to know why these people talk about their unproven "Hellenic" or "Turkic" origins as if it were yesterday when their ancestors arrived in Cyprus.

Cyprus is one of the oldest nation's on earth yet the Cypriots are more unsettled than any nation I have seen.

In America, there are few who call themselves English American nowadays. Few look to England as a motherland. Nobody gives cares about the Pilgrim Fathers on their ship called the Mayflower.

In Australia, few can remember their cut throat ancestors shipped from the slumbs of East London.

Few New Zealanders remember and Anglophone Canadians remember Scotland. "Nova Scotia" and "Scottish symbols" are kept for prestige.

Even French Canadians many of whom insist on being called Canadien Francais or Quebecois - no longer see France as a motherland. They are confident in their own skin and proud of their differences with France.

African Americans respect and love Africa but they too are comfortable in their environment. They have no desire to move back to Africa or unite with it. The environment they have lived in for nearly 500 years is home.

White South Africans too have forgotten about the Netherlands and know more about African wildlife and farming in an African environment than about catching Herring in the Ijsselmeer (Zuiderzee).

So why do we Cypriots older than all these new nations look to "Greece or Turkey" as 'motherlands.' Keep a blinded loyalty to Ankara and Athens even after they have screwed us over? Are these Cypriots stupid or getting paid, or perhaps I am missing something here?

Our ancestors came to Cyprus from numerous place (some of which don't exist today as empires) over 2000 years? Who remembers the Myceneans and the Phoenicians? What of the the Crusades - do you think they happened yesterday? Does anybody recall 1571- anybody? Or how about remembers 1750 - you've gotta remember that year?

It is time Cypriots finally settled down in Cyprus and accepted it as home without looking overseas for labels. We are Cypriots with the same eating habits and same destiny to share this island.

[Malapapa]

Are these Cypriots stupid or getting paid, or perhaps I am missing something here?

I doubt they're getting paid.

[Get Real!]

Perhaps we should accept that some of these people in Cyprus are and/or want to be “Greeks of Cyprus” or “Turks of Cyprus” or “Pakistanis of Cyprus” for that matter, for they have every right to call themselves whatever they want, but they in turn should learn to…

RESPECT THOSE CYPRIOTS THAT HAVE NO RELATION TO GREECE OR TURKEY WHATSOEVER!

THANK YOU!

Anyone who claims that Cyprus is Greek or Turkish automatically disrespects and provokes me and my 10,000 year old ancient Cypriot ancestors… and that I don’t appreciate!

[Omer Seyhan]

Are these Cypriots stupid or getting paid, or perhaps I am missing something here?

I doubt they're getting paid.

So they are playing devil's advocate for free

[Piratis]

There was never such thing as a "Cypriot Nation". The majority of the population of Cyprus are (and have been for 1000s of years) Greek, and then there is a Turkish minority created during Ottoman rule.

I asked many times what is the difference of Cyprus and any of the other Greek islands apart from the fact that to Cypriots it was denied the right to be part of the modern Greek State. I still didn't get an answer. So what is it that makes a "Cypriot Nation", but not a "Cretan Nation" or a "Rhodian Nation", or "Paros Nation" ... (fill in the name of the other 6000+ Greek islands)? What makes Cyprus similar to Australia and not similar to Crete or Rhodes??

Sure, every territory (island or otherwise) could be a separate nation. We could also take Turkey (or any other nation), split it up in 100 pieces and have 100 "nations". But shouldn't the choice of whether a territory is a separate nation or not belong to the local population???

Cyprus did not became a separate country because this is what the Cypriot people choose and what would serve the interests of Cypriots. (as it happened with all other examples you gave). Cypriots were blackmailed and forced to accepted some pseudo independence (with "guarantors", foreign troops, foreign bases etc) because this is what served the interests of UK and Turkey, and not the interests of the majority of the Cypriot people.

These are the historical facts. Now you might ask: "OK Piratis, all that belongs to the past. Cyprus is a separate country now and given the circumstances isn't the creation of a Cypriot Nation in the interests of all Cypriots now?"

The answer is "It could be". Give to the Cypriot people the freedom to finally democratically choose what they want for their own island and among the options that Cypriots can choose from also provide a true independence, with a true democracy among equal Cypriot people without racist discrimination, foreign troops, "guarantors" and foreign bases. THEN I am certain the majority of Cypriots will choose to be a separate Nation because such independent nation would indeed be for the interests of all Cypriots.

Unfortunately the option for a true independence is not available to the Cypriot people. Cyprus is too small to be able to have such independence. We do not have the power of huge countries like USA, Australia or Canada and our island is located in a very strategic location for the Imperialists to just let us out of their control.

So if we turn our backs to the rest of Greeks, our only real allies, the only thing we will manage is to isolate ourselves and make the job of those Imperialists who want to continue exploiting our island event easier.

[conemmanuelle]

When I asked my father the same question many years ago, about this idea that Turkish and Greek Cypriots are seen as different and that Cyprus has always been divided - he smiled, shook his head, took a slow sip from his Turkish coffee (that's what the label on the packet reads) and replied....

"Son, there are only Cypriots, some are Muslim and some are Christians. That's it - nothing more, nothing less, now can you please pass me a loukomi."

Wise man - my father.

[CopperLine]

Piratis,

"Cypriots it was denied the right to be part of the modern Greek State."

How can that be a right ? By virtue of what ? Doubtless you have a wish to be part of Greece, but you say that this is a right ! It makes as much sense as insisting that you have a right to be German or Viet or right to belong to the Bullingdon Club or the Lawn Tennis Association. I'd have thought that it depends whether Greece wants you or not, and not a right that inheres or that you possess.

[YFred]

Piratis,

"Cypriots it was denied the right to be part of the modern Greek State."

How can that be a right ? By virtue of what ? Doubtless you have a wish to be part of Greece, but you say that this is a right ! It makes as much sense as insisting that you have a right to be German or Viet or right to belong to the Bullingdon Club or the Lawn Tennis Association. I'd have thought that it depends whether Greece wants you or not, and not a right that inheres or that you possess.

It is Piratis's right that if he wishes to be a Turkey at Christmas, that he should be allowed, he just has to realise that he can't drag us all there with him. But he is entitled to take his mates with him.

[Piratis]

Piratis,

"Cypriots it was denied the right to be part of the modern Greek State."

How can that be a right ? By virtue of what ? Doubtless you have a wish to be part of Greece, but you say that this is a right ! It makes as much sense as insisting that you have a right to be German or Viet or right to belong to the Bullingdon Club or the Lawn Tennis Association. I'd have thought that it depends whether Greece wants you or not, and not a right that inheres or that you possess.

Greece fully supported the wish of the majority of the Cypriot people. If the majority of Cypriots wanted to be German and Germany also wanted Cyprus, then again it would be our right. Neither Turkey, Sudan or any other third country should have the right to tell us what to do with our own island. Nor some minority group of Cypriots would have the right to prevent this from happening. They would have the right to disagree, but not to forcefully impose their will.

[Oracle]

The mistake is to treat the Greek Cypriots the same as the Turkish Cypriots when making comparisons to colonialists of Australia and America etc.

It is historically incorrect to lump the GCs and TCs together as far as this comparison goes.

The Greek Cypriots have continuity with the island dating from the earliest times of budding civilisations and possess a continuum of historical records and artefacts which demonstrate the beauty of this emergence.

The Turkish Cypriots on the other hand are like those Colonialists you speak of (the white supremacists of South Africa, the Europeans of USA etc). It is up to the TCs to abandon their "roots" and integrate with the natives if they want to become part of the true Cypriot population. It's not up to Greek Cypriots to give up their history and ethnicity to satisfy recent arrivals like Turks. After all, there is another wave of more recent Turkish arrivals. Lending further proof to the TCs' colonialist, recent appearances on this island.