bigOz wrote: Obviously nothing has changed during my self imposed exile from the Cyprus Forum! Still the same actors trying to win an argument rather than face the facts!
Kikapu! You are talking about a census, involving the "citizens of N. Cyprus" and not TCs. First of all, many "citizens" from mainland Turkey have been on increase whilst many TCs continued to depart for distant countries, ever since 1974. The main explosion of the TRNC population is due to the breeding habits of some 40,000 mainland Turks, who are in the habit of having 5-6 children each, in contrast to an average of 2 for the TCs. Now, moving forward to Pro Annan Era, it is not the citizens that have increased abnormally in population, although issuing citizenships to mainlanders also increased, BUT it is the increase in alien workers or residents that pushed the actual population living on the island close to half a million mark. Add to that the regular amnesties that are given to such illegal workers, which are soon in a position to claim citizenship due to the length of their overall stay here, and perhaps then you can see how the picture has been changing. Putting population aside, many multinational mainland companies have opened businesses, 5 star hotels, casinos, trading companies who are very influential with the government and their policies.
BigOz, the facts are, the north's population did not take a giant spike right after the failure of the AP in 2004 as your post was suggesting. By 2004, the "citizenship" of the "trnc" was already at 250,000 based from the link I gave you above, which the overwhelming majority of that number were the settlers, because as you correctly stated, that many TCs had left Cyprus before 2004. If almost 200,000 settlers were given "trnc citizenship" before 2004, there had to be just as many settlers who were not given "trnc citizenship" but were there either with a permit to stay or without a permit, but were there all the same. I'm not even counting the military personal and their family members. Add all those to the mix, and it is easy to reach 500,000 illegals from Turkey in the north. So I don't know what is it that you are trying to argue exactly. Sure more settlers came after 2004, but large majority had already came to the "trnc" before 2004. No doubt the very latecomers were during the construction boom days, but there were no shortages of settlers in the north before 2004.
bigOz wrote:There is no argument here! The GCs are no longer talking to the TCs - they are talking to the hand of PM Erdoğan. I remember warning the members of this forum, 2 years ago or so, of this fast becoming a reality, due to stubbornness and big headedness of historically misinformed GCs. Now it is all over - we have a very famous saying in Turkish language "Aza kanaat etmeyen, çoğu hiç bulmaz" - maybe you can translate that to your Greek brothers! So what happened to all the huffing and puffing? Now the leader of the alleged "illegal invader/occupier" of the island isopenly saying NO! to return of Morphou or Varosha, to any reduction of the Turkish army on the island, and even to holding any talks with EU regarding membership, if the GC side unilaterally becomes the leader of EU next term! And which mthrfckr can do anything about it
Well, had the AP passed in 2004, nothing would have changed regarding Turkey's position from the above in all reality, despite what was written in the AP, which wasn't that great to begin with. If anything, Turkey would have had stranglehold on the whole island good and proper, since there wouldn't have been the RoC any longer, but just communities living on the island in some very lose and cumbersome system of Confederation. It would have been free for all to do as they wished. I doubt very much the EU would have even retained the island as a EU member, since the EU membership was given to the RoC and not to some other made up name which it would have had a system of anti Democracy, Human Rights violation, International law violations and no EU Principles. This would have suited Turkey just fine. No RoC in the EU as it is now, no EU Presidency for the RoC and no complications for Turkey in opening and closing her EU chapters, regardless whether or not she would be interested in being in the EU. Turkey would just play along by be sitting down with the EU regardless. But that's all in the past and the RoC is in the EU, the RoC is the whole island despite only the part below the "Attila line" is in full compliance with the EU norms, the RoC will take the EU Presidency, the RoC is able to block Turkey's EU dreams/nightmares, the BBF is what's on for a settlement based on relevant UN resolutions and the EU Principles. These are the realities and there is nothing Turkey can do to change these short of going to war to take the whole island for her to control it at the risk of Turkey going to war with the rest of the EU.
What ever plans Turkey had for Cyprus had the AP passed in 2004, Papadopoulos put a damper on those plans by rejecting the AP. Personally, I believe he saw the end game for the demise of the RoC had the AP passed, so he went on to outfox all those who wanted the destruction of the RoC, which NOT only it would have been a disastrous outcome for the GCs, but to the TCs also, but unfortunately, the longer Turkey stands in the way for the TCs to have a settlement based on EU Principles on BBF with Federation, the worse it will become for the TCs as they are being reduced in numbers with each passing years. The no vote on the AP has secured the GCs future, but the TCs future is becoming bleaker and bleaker as time moves on without a settlement. At This point in time, the ONLY thing that is going to save the indigenous TCs from completely being extinct, is a BBF with EU Principles. Anything short of that, we as TCs are DOOMED in Cyprus. We will have a better chance surviving as a TC community in North London's Green Lanes than we would do in Cyprus, so don't "gloat" what the GCs are going to face with Erdogan's antics if that,if this, if the other, if if if if, but you should worry about what the TCs are going to face with Erdogan's antics. Turkey is in Cyprus for herself and not for the TCs. If you haven't quite come to terms with this reality yet, then you and a lot of TCs will need to wake up to it pretty soon before it is really curtains for the TC community as we know it, except it won't be coming from the GCs, but from the Turks.
