Cyprus-Forum.com

[zan]

mmfromng is right you have stated many times that you identify with GCs more than you do TCs so why not go to your utopia which is the GC run south and change your name to Nicos, this should then deem you a real "Cypriot" you could then live happily ever after with your other " Cypriot" brothers why do you admantly want to persuade and drag us into the same hole as yourself?

Viewpoint, you are consistently missing the point which is that Bir regards himself as a Cypriot not as a Greek Cypriot. It is you and others who keep bringing Greek and Turkish into the discussion.

For my own part I don't believe we can turn back the clock but we have to embrace all the inhabitants of the island if we are to have a future together. That includes those who arrived after 1974 from Turkey as well as from Russia. Whilst we can't recreate the past we can create something new from what is present if the will is there. In that sense I disagree with Bir, the enemy is ourselves and our own prejudices not the people from the mainland who arrived afterwards.

Our enemy is wanting something we can't have. I am a true Cypriot that wants something other than what Bir and others like him want and they inadvertantly call me a traitor by calling themselves "True Cypriots". Where is the loyalty in that?

[miltiades]

Birk , so do I mate , might even find my old mate Bir -assos.
" look forward to the day we might even sit down and have a drink together "




Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people.
Nehru.

[MR-from-NG]

Mrfromng,

How about Sotos,Kifeas and Piratis?

Issy, you mean the Gestapo? These guys are in a league of their own. They are dangerous and ruthless. Given the chance they would have us in a gas chamber at the flick of a finger. They worry me, I would advise all to steer well clear.

[mehmet]

Our enemy is wanting something we can't have. I am a true Cypriot that wants something other than what Bir and others like him want and they inadvertantly call me a traitor by calling themselves "True Cypriots". Where is the loyalty in that?

'Enemies' everywhere we look, some speaking Greek some speaking Turkish, I despair of this persistent over simplification and lack of acceptance of opposing points of view. Can't we disagree without labelling each other?

[BirKibrisli]

Our enemy is wanting something we can't have. I am a true Cypriot that wants something other than what Bir and others like him want and they inadvertantly call me a traitor by calling themselves "True Cypriots". Where is the loyalty in that?

'Enemies' everywhere we look, some speaking Greek some speaking Turkish, I despair of this persistent over simplification and lack of acceptance of opposing points of view. Can't we disagree without labelling each other?

I second that,Mehmet.
There is no need to label people.We are all trying to make sense of our senseless world,and try to propose solutions we think will make it a better place for our people.We should be able to do it without insulting each other. I happen to believe that given our past the only way forward is to embrace our Cypriotness,and leave all that bitternesss and hatred behind.Partition will only entrench our differences,and lead to serious resentment in the majority of Cypriots.That is no formula for a peaceful coexistence...

[MR-from-NG]

Many years ago as a child of 7 , I shared a bedroom with 7 other children , eight of us in a dormitory 5 G/Cs and 3 T/Cs .We were all mates and shared our sadness and our happiness . The toughest kid was a T/C by the name of Mehmet . We called him "ASSOS " Ace , because he was numero uno. How can I hate him and the others with whom we shared so much. All Cypriot kids , now adults or in my case approaching old age with a pure heart and free of hatred towards our brothers and sisters. This is what Birkibrisli stands for and I stand next to him .

Miltiades, my dear friend. We are not talking about hate here. I have very fond memories of my Greek friends in the schools I attended here. I deal with Greeks/GC's on daily basis. I live in Winchmore Hill which is predominantly Greek. My immediate neighbours are GC. We get on really well and are always there for one another.

I just find Bir's posts offensive and unacceptable. He hasn't been to Cyprus for god knows how long. He really knows nothing of the situation the TC's are in. He clearly adores Cyprus, Cypriotness and the GC's which I have no problem with. But I do have a problem when he says he feels closer to Piratis, Kifeas, Sotos etc than the TC's and Turks. How can you say those things about the people that saved you from extinction? Especially choosing your own kind for the likes of Piratis and Kifeas. These two guys would line us all up in front of a firing squad at the blink of an eye. Sorry but he is more GC than a TC to me.

[eracles]

Our enemy is wanting something we can't have. I am a true Cypriot that wants something other than what Bir and others like him want and they inadvertantly call me a traitor by calling themselves "True Cypriots". Where is the loyalty in that?

'Enemies' everywhere we look, some speaking Greek some speaking Turkish, I despair of this persistent over simplification and lack of acceptance of opposing points of view. Can't we disagree without labelling each other?

I third that. It's time to switch the discussion here to a more productive level rather than the polarising confrontational chest-beating that happens all too often. Now don't call me a traitor for suggesting we lose some of our Cypriot identity in order to have civilised discussion

[zan]

Our enemy is wanting something we can't have. I am a true Cypriot that wants something other than what Bir and others like him want and they inadvertantly call me a traitor by calling themselves "True Cypriots". Where is the loyalty in that?

'Enemies' everywhere we look, some speaking Greek some speaking Turkish, I despair of this persistent over simplification and lack of acceptance of opposing points of view. Can't we disagree without labelling each other?

We don't always label others. We can also label ourselves and in doing so, this little label says I am right so therefore you must be wrong. True Cypriot as opposed to .....what? I have no problem with thier views except for the fact that I think that they are wrong. Lets talk.

[mehmet]

Well it's just a matter of what you see the purpose of these sites for. I initially decided to participate to try and undestand what I didn't know and in that sense it has been useful. Some time ago I realised that the older I get the less certain I am of things so I don't know about right and wrong. Wisdom comes from listening and responding to arguements put forward and learning as a result of this. I have had enough of people being labelled traitors, enemies and all that shit. It creates a hostile environment and because people got personal it leads to mud slinging. I'm not saying I haven't been guilty of it but I don't defend it.

True Cypriot as opposed to .....what?

I'm guessing but I imagine Cypriot identity promoted by those as an antidote to Greek and Turkish identity. Given our past I can understand why we might be seraching for an alternative, one which will be less painful. I happen to think it is more complex. Tito also promoted Yugoslavism but as soon as he pass away the Croatians and Serbs were at each others throats.

Getting back to the title of this thread, I remember when I was last in Turkey a woman telling me how her granddaughter in Cyprus has adopted Turkish Cypriot vernacular so the interaction between Turk and Turk Cypriots is a two way process. If the Turkish immigrants are not offered a stake in a Cypriot future they will be an obstacle. I am absolutely against forcible repatriation from Cyprus from UK from anywhere. Solution needs to take account of current realities.

[zan]

Getting back to the title of this thread, I remember when I was last in Turkey a woman telling me how her granddaughter in Cyprus has adopted Turkish Cypriot vernacular so the interaction between Turk and Turk Cypriots is a two way process. If the Turkish immigrants are not offered a stake in a Cypriot future they will be an obstacle. I am absolutely against forcible repatriation from Cyprus from UK from anywhere. Solution needs to take account of current realities.

Totaly agree, but watch out because you will get attacked on that as I have been several times.