In Cyprus, warm words conceal dark intentions

Jez, Leeds.

Well that's put me in a right good mood for work today- not.

Fantastic.

Alex K

Good article. If you are right and Turkey has no interest in withdrawing from Cyprus then that spells the end of its ambitions to join the EU. Some would argue that's no bad thing. But the carrot of EU membership is the only reason the Turks are even at the negotiating table. At some point Turkey has to have a reckoning with itself. Does its interest in joining the European Union, and turning away from its belligerent past, transcend its interest in oppressing and occupying Cyprus?

ALKAN KIZILDEL

Turkey could have annexed Northern Cyprus any time after 1974. Why did it have to wait so long, more than 30 years..!?

ALKAN KIZILDEL

David Campbell

A piece full of non-sequiturs. The West wants to anchor Turkey in the EU so it will acquiesce in the annexation of Cyprus whichn will rule that out forever. Makes a LOT of sense.

Gareth Cook

This is so true, I was in Northern Cyprus just a few weeks ago and the money they are spending building new roads than seem to go nowhere must be for a reason, when they finish the link up to the North East where all the best beaches are and the closest point to mainland Turkey! They will have access to move men on arrival from Turkey to all parts of the North very quickly which would be the way they would do it and then it would all be over. The hypocrites in BRussels and our own Prime Minister would be very happy because that would be exactly what they want, Turkey would then have to be part of Europe after all if Cyprus can be which isn't part of Europe then why can't Turkey which as a little toehold actually in Europe! The con has always been that it was never about "European Union" it has always been a new "Empire" controlled from the "Masters" in Brussels which is no wonder the Russians are concerned, they are meddlers of the highest order who cannot be trusted you only have to see the way they are dealing with Ireland for daring to be democratic!

John, Girne, North Cyprus

For the first time since Turkey seized Northern Cyprus in 1974..

Not a good start to the article at all. Those of us who understand these things know that the Turks did not seize anything. They liberated the Turkish Cypriots from attempted genocide led by Greek fascists.

There is as much chance of the two communities getting along within one polity here as there would be in Kosovo. So forget it.

Disgruntled of Ankara

Blimey. This must be one of the silliest articles ever written on Cyprus. If that is a fair reflection of the way Greek Cypriots see things, the EU should be airlifting tranquillizers there fast.

Nomicos , North Cyprus

Im afraid this article does not reflect the true situation on the ground. the gates have been open since 2003 , and most of the Turkish Cypriots that have settled in the South are Gypsies, on the other hand mr erel, who has scored 0.5 in the elections, likes to play with complo theories , can suggest thousands shall migrate to the south. Annexation by Turkey, is possible as UK shall start using the Euro. The current AKP government of Turkey has no such intention. The final truth is Greek Cypriots are dead scared of sharing political equality with the Turkish Cypriots.

William S, London

It's very difficult to feel sorry for the Turkish Cypriots who are now outnumbered by Anatolian settlers. They have been used mercilessly by the Turkish army in a failed imperial adventure which has brought only shame and international condemnation upon themselves and Turkey. The Greek Cypriots on the other hand have built a thriving economy, enjoy international recognition and are members of the EU. To their credit they have kept the dream alive of a united sovereign Cyprus free of military occupation. Turkey's imperial designs on Cyprus has run out of steam. Annexation would be a disaster spelling an end to its EU ambitions. Recognition of the so-called 'TRNC' is not on the agenda. The US-backed Annan Plan failed miserably.

Pressure needs to be applied to the Turkish state now to end its military occupation of northern Cyprus. Turkey will never fulfil its aim to join the EU as long as its troops occupy the territory of an EU member. Re-unification would also reverse the mass ethnic cleansing of the Greek Cypriots which took place in 1974. It's vital that Turkey does not miss this opportunity. The signs are not encouraging. Turkey has built so many myths around the occupation of Cyprus it would be extremely difficult to reverse its policy. In truth the invasion has been a catastrophic crime against the Cypriot people. Turkish withdrawal is the only option on the table. It's up to the Turkish government how it chooses to sell that to its own people.

Mark, Brighton.

The Cyprus issue could be solved at once if Turkish troops left the island. Most of the settlers would have to leave as well. They don't belong in Cyprus and it's a war crime that they are on the island. I think Cyprus will be re-united. But on Greek Cypriot terms. The Turks are in a corner as they want to join the EU. I think it will be hard for the Turks in the north to accept because they don't want to be part of a united Cyprus state. They don't want to live with Greek Cypriots. Also the Turkish invasion was a crime against the Greek Cypriots who lost homes, lives, land and their culture. It was an attempted genocide pretending to be a "peace operation". The Greek Cypriots are being very generous to their fellow Cypriots considering that the Turkish Cypriots sided against them. It's time the Turkish Cypriots realised their enemies are not the Greek Cypriots but the Turkish army which came to "liberate" them and has left them isolated living in a rogue state with no hope and no future.

V Mehmet, Cyprus

As a Turkish Cypriot I am ashamed of some of the comments made by other Turks here. The Turkish army has destroyed northern Cyprus. It's like living under occupation with soldiers everywhere and Turks from the mainland who have nothing to do with our culture.

Journalists are killed who speak out against the regime here. All the Turkish Cypriots I know have either left or will leave unless there is a solution.

We have not been freed from the Greeks. We are living in a big prison. Our state is a joke. The invasion was a lie. There are very few Turkish Cypriots left, only soldiers, gypsies and criminals.

What has happened to the Turkish Cypriots is genocide. But it was done by the Turkish army. We are fighting for our existence. The fact is we will only survive in a united Cyprus with the help of the Greeks. Otherwise there will be no Turkish Cypriots left anymore in Cyprus. I know Mr. Talat understands this. We don't want to be part of Turkey anymore.

Turkey does not care for us. Only for the army which runs everything in the north. These people are worse than criminals.

Our state is a criminal state. Most people know this. But they are too frightened to speak. There is no freedom here. Just waste and poverty and crime.

ahmet hajıahmetoglu

Hı John
U need to read a lıttle bıt more about the 1963 December 21st attack of the Greeks to annexe Cyprus to greece ,the Akritas Plan,the 103 villages they attcked and made homeless and forced the rest to live in %3 yes ın ghettos ,enclaves of three percent till 1974 when they belived they could finish the job with a coup,what followed again was genocide by the Greeks same as in Dec 1963!Please get your facts right and prejudices balanced

ahmet hajıahmetoglu

It is time the Greeks accepted their sins for the 1963 constitutional amendment that reduced the Turks to a minority against the constıitutıon and the following this with attacks against the Turkish population,I made a presentation in a Media Studies Course about this reality and The Greek Lobby has been hounding me ever since.The blame is with the Turks as they were chucked out of government by force of arms for 11 years until Turkey saved them from further atrocities in 1974 and brought peace to the island since.

V Mehmet, Cyprus

Ahmet,

There is no peace on Cyprus. Only ethnic cleansing of the Greeks from the north. That is not peace. That is genocide. If you cannot understand that in a peace deal the Greek Cypriots will be allowed to return to their homes and the Turkish army will be leaving Cyprus then where will you go? All you speak is what the Greeks did in 1963. But those people don't exist anymore. Have you been to the south? The Greeks are prosperous Europeans while we live in a dungeon! Go and see what people are like and stop living in the past. The Greeks did that, the Greeks did this! That is fantasy talk and lies. We did more to them. Turkey invaded their country, killed their citizens and forced them to leave their homes. Now there are no Greek Cypriots in northern Cyprus. It is a crime what happened. And you call it peace. Shame on you. Shame on our people. You speak the language of the Turkish generals and you believe their lies. Times have changed. Go to the South and meet the Greek Cypriots. They don't have horns. They don't go on about the past all the time. Living in northern Cyprus is like living in a place with no future. It does not know where it is going. We cannot live in a dungeon for ever. Our only hope is to live alongside the Greeks. Otherwise there will be no Turkish Cypriots left. We will all leave. Is that what you want?

Neil Sawyer

An atrociously biased article that seeks to win our sympathy for a failed genocide.

The "pro-Turkish Annan Plan" was a deal that was considered a just and fair settlement not only by the Western powers and the UN but also by Russia, which has exercised its UNSC veto power on the behalf of the Greek Cypriots several times, by Greece and indeed by the outgoing Greek Cypriot government. The EU made the observation that the incoming Greek Cypriot goverment persuaded their population against it not on the merits of the plan, but by deceiving them about what it contained.

"Had Turkey not intervened I would not only have proclaimed Enosis, I would have annihilated the Turks of Cyprus."

What was going on in Cyprus in 1974, and had been going on since the 1950's, with particular vigour from 1963 when Makarios went public with the eradication plan for the Turkish Cyriots was clear.

Indeed, following the Turkish action, the Council of Europe (CACE) passed resolution 573 stating "Turkey exercised its right of intervention in accordance with Article IV of the Guarantee Treaty of 1960."

At some point between then and now, that record has become convoluted and skewed beyond all reality. Perhaps because of the deluge of shamelessly revisional articles like this poor excuse for journalism.

Shame on you, John Torode. What do you have planned for next week, a declaration of victimhood and persecution for Karadzic?

Andrew Turvey

What an extraordinary article. Sounds just like Greek extremist nationalists trying to kill the talks before they even get off the ground. The Spectator should be ashamed for printing such biased and distorted nonsense.

Prof. W. Masterson, Oxford

Excellent and clear-sighted article. Turkey would certainly like to annex the north of Cyprus. Recognition of the "TRNC" has failed miserably. No one other than Ankara recognizes the Turkish Cypriot state.

However, annexation would be a diplomatic disaster and would end Turkey's EU aspirations in one stroke.

The European Court of Human Rights has given the clear message that the Cyprus issue is primarily an international case based on the violation of human rights and international law by Turkey. Furthermore, the Court has ruled on important issues of international law, judicially verifying the legal status of the Republic of Cyprus and the illegal actions of Turkey in Cyprus.

Moreover, Turkey's continuing occupation is in flagrant breach of international law. The massive and systematic violation of human rights by Turkey in Cyprus has been judicially verified by the European Court of Human Rights. In its judgement on the fourth interstate application of Cyprus v. Turkey, delivered on 10 May 2001, the Court has established serious violations of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Cypriots by Turkey.

Europe is not going to change its mind on northern Cyprus. Turkey has to make a choice; either it is committed to the Turkish Cypriot state or it is committed to Europe. It cannot have both. The option is not available.

Cyprus is an albatross around Turkey’s neck. Turkey badly needs an exit strategy. The cold political reality is that until it gets out of Cyprus, it is not going to get into Europe.

getreal

John needs a new career, as a journalist he sucks.
Historically and factually inaccurate and blatantly biased.
1. Turkey has been trying to get into the EU since it started, the EU have been keeping them out!
2. Cyprus joining the EU was against both EU rules and Cyprus constitution.
3. Turkey intervened in 74 after an athens back coup kicked Makarios out and declared Enosis - i.e joiuning with Greece. Said intervention was under the Cyprus constitutional gurantee and pre approved by the UK, and post approved by the UN - it is the continuing presence they object to, the intervention was completely legal and justified.
4. The Green line went up in 64 not 74, as a result of the Greeks killing Turks, causing the Turkish cypriots to retreat into enclaves. (there is a great cartoon of makarios leaning a rifle on the shoulder of a UN soldier saying 'thanks').
5. The name of the leader in the north is TALAT not TALET.
The Annan plan was not created in secret, it was as a result of many many meetings attended by Greek cypriot politicians including Papadopolous.
6. Papadopolous obtained entry to the EU by promising he would put the plan to a referendum and give it his support - he lied.
7. Papadopolus refused to turn up at the last couple of meetings as it became evident the plan was workable and he wanted it to fail.
8. Papadopolous lied to the Greek Cypriot population regarding the contents of the plan and refused the UN access to the media to correct the lies.
9. Papadopolous the 'mildly right of centre' was a senior member of the EOKA terrorist group which included the schoolboy killers mentioned - he wrote a plan on how to exterminate all Turkish cypriots and presented it to Makarios - so one can hardly expect him to speak sense.
10. Papadopolous law firm is still under a dark cloud as it laundered billions on behalf of Papadopolous's equally 'slightly right of centre' friend, slobodon milosevich. One wonders where Papadoc got his election funding from.
Torode should start a new career, the agriculture industry is crying out for a new cheap source of crap.

Getrealyoubet

Pack up and go away, you
foreigners.

Enver

An unbelievably superficial and biased article.

The Greek extremists were committing Genocide against the Turkish Cypriots who would have been exterminated if Turkey had not intervened in 1974.

Turkey should annex Turkish Cyprus and to hell with the rest of the world.

V Mehmet - I don't think you are a Turk somehow.

Meral Ece

You write:
I recently spent a few days talking to key players.(whoever they are!) None asked to go off the record and all held astonishingly similar views. Among them was Papadopoulos. He is convinced that Turkey no longer wants a negotiated settlement, and has lost interest in the idea of the bi-zonal, bicommunal federal solution — the declared goal of all parties for 30 years.
Forgive me, but is this the same Papadopoulos who spent years as the right wing president digging his heels and refusing to meet with his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, to do anything to bring about peace? The same person who told Annan and the EU, that he would campaign for a YES vote, if Cyprus was allowed into the EU without any preconditions ( i.e a peace resolution) No wonder he was booted out by the Greek Cypriots, fed up with the status quo!
I have no idea who you are, but like many ignorant and superficial commentators on Cyprus, 1963 is airbrushed out of history. Ethnic cleansing of Turkish Cypriots just never happened! The remains of my family members, missing since 1963, and dug up 2 years ago in Alaminos, apparently never happened. Its all the Turkish Cypriots fault, for inviting the Turks to invade Cyprus in 1974- the year zero!
I'm told you are a member of Friends of Cyprus - so am I, but I can tell the difference between fact and fantasy. Cypriots from all sides have suffered for years. You have served no useful purpose in bringing about peace and reconciliation in this silly article.

Fevzi Hussein

Mr Torode - you speak the Greek Cypriot propoganda speak very well. Most of your comments are so off the mark it is unreal and many comments by both Turkish Cypriots and Brits alike recognise the fundamental flaws in your reporting accuracy. I am pleased that there seems to be much more recognition about the history of Cyprus from the 1950's onwards. Whislt there are undoubedtly good Greek Cypriots who wish to live and share power with Turkish Cypriots the truth is that up until now the proof has been in the pudding and of 16 unification plans (report made by ex-foreign minister Rolandis) put on the table all 16 have been rejected by Greek Cypriots. The last one, Annan, was a document that all parties contributed to and was 9,500 pages long so let's not try to distort the truth (again)!!

I hope the current talks lead somewhere but if the trust of Turkish Cypriots is to be won by Christofias and Co then there needs to be an acknowledgement that TC's have suffered genocide from the 50's and it would be good to see some across the board reconcilliation efforts. Full and open apologies would be a good start :)

Sol

"If it were not for the swamping votes of the settlers he could well have been president by now"

The Peace Research Insitute Oslo, put the actual number of settlters as around 35 thousand, hardly "swamping". The concept of "settlers" outnumbering Turkish Cypriots comes from the Greek Cypriot government, odd as they never go to the north.

Further the idea of getting rid of anyone from a specific ethnic background sounds awfully like the policys of the extreme far right...

M.E. London

Very good article. I also congratulate V Mehmet for his sincere views. In answering other comments by some T/c, I advise them to learn the true history of 1963/64 and not believe the fables created by their racist leaders. What they say is a complete lie. Actually, what Turkey did in '63-'64 was a crime against humanity. The Turks bombed innocent defenceless civilians. Earlier, they order T/c to abandon their small villages and gather in big ones, so they could have control on them. In fact, they put them in big prisons.
Now, because of the barbaric Turkish invasion in 1974, the vast majority of the T/c escaped from the big prison and settlers, who are now the ruling force in the occupied area, took their place.

Ata CHOLAK

If V Mehmet is a Turkish Cypriot, then I am the first born son of the last Russian Tzar.

As for M E of London, I am a Turkish Cypriot refugee from Omorphida from Christmas Day 1963. I can assure you, there were no one from Turkey telling my family to go anywhere. The only reason we left our home was because Mr Nicos Samsun and his armed thugs were systematically murdering Turkish Cypriot civilians and burning their homes. Samsun and his murderers were the only barbarians I came across in Cyprus, which made him a natural choice to be the president of the Hellenic Republic of Cyprus when the Greek Junta engineered the coup in 74.

Frankly, as a Turkish Cypriot that lived through the 63-74 years first hand, I find your attempt at telling me what happened in Cyprus during that time, grossly offensive. If you really want to know what happened, read the newspaper articles from that period from the UK or Europe, not what you were taught in a GC school from history books that have been totally discredited.

E Korusoy

My view is that the only true thing about this article is the title. The warm words of the Greek Cypriots do indeed conceal their dark intentions to get rid of all Turks on the island. And with the EU's tacit approval.

Fevzi H

I have been mulling over this article and the replies for a day or two and find V Mehmet's contribution quite amazing. The myths still seem to be doing the rounds. I was in the South (Paralimni) a couple of years ago doing a lecture for some international trade unionists. I chose to drive back to my family in Magusa every evening after lectures. I also chose to drive a car with Turkish Cypriot plates. I can advise you that three nights running I suffered serious forms of intimidation on the roads with cars tail-gating me to the point where bumpers were nearly touching - constant flashing high beams etc - all this was done because it was clear I was a Turkish Cypriot driving (alone) in the RoC. Three nights on the trot is hardly an isolated incident. As I said in my earlier piece it would be totally irresponsible to tar a group of people with the same brush and I am meerly highlighting my own personal experience. Had I stopped to challenge the moronic driving I would have been fair game and doubt if i would be about to write about it! Torode's article has done one thing - in this day and age where Cypriot NGO's are making genuine efforts to bring the two Cypriot groups together misconceived people like you only serve to drive an even stronger wedge between our two people.

i m veli

Perhaps some socalled history experts who blame Turkey for everything that happened in Cyprus, can explain how all Turkish Cypriot males were butchered in Thohni a few miles outside Limasol by greek troops. the turkish never reached that area.And what about the mass graves in Atlilar, Sandallar,Murataga and Ayvasilios in1964 all these were dug up by UN TROOPS.Or are they going to tell us that the Turkish secret service went into Greek areas killed Turks ran back to Turkey then blamed it on the poor old Greeks.The greek propaganda machine would have made Hitler proud.

M.E. London

To and .
I have not learnt the history of 1963/64 through books. I come from a mixed village, I have Turkish Cypriot friends and I know first hand what happened in those years. Of course the TMT Turkish Cypriots terrorist killed their own people and blamed the G/cs. I experienced two of those tragic killings. The one happened in Kourtaka, a small village in Pafos. The TMT terrorists killed a T/c mother and her two kids because she did not obey to their orders and she stayed behind, in her village and had excelled relation with the G/cs. Her name was SETRIE. She and the two kinds are now declared...missing!!! by the T/c leaders! The other one was occurred again in a small village in Pafos called Falia. Ali,T/c and close friend of my father, killed by TMT terrorists because he had chosen to stay in his village looking after his property and land and did NOT go to the big Turkish village nearby, where they ordered him to go, according to Turkey's plan. He stayed in his village and was working harmoniously with the G/c of the surrounding villages. That was his…sin!!!
In Tochni, is well known now that their schizophrenic haspand and father made the . After that tragic incident, the TMT terrorists took pictures of the victims, published them and blamed the Greeks!!!
Finally, what the are celebrating today at Kokkina? The massacre of the G/cs by Turkey, where they bombed innocent civilians and burnt the area.
That is the truth of what happened in 1963/64. I urge the educated and civilised T/cs not to listen to the black propaganda of their leaders and the settlers.

M.E. London

To Editor of this page.
In my last email there are missing sentnces

I M V

M E London you are a perfect example of the ignorance that has created the Cyprus problem. 1st of all no pictures of the Thohni massacre exist,your own government has revealed to the missing persons commitie the location of the mass grave, and has acknowledged the massacre through Greek witnesses. WHY DO I KNOW?, BECAUSE MY WIFES FAMILY WAS WIPED OUT IN THAT VILLAGE Its about time people like you stopped talking through the wrong hole,as the stench is finally coming out,from your own writers. Check out T Angastiniotis book,"trapped in the green line"

I M Veli

Clearing up a point in 1st mail. In case there was a misunderstanding.ATLILAR MURATAGA, SANDALLARIS AND THOHNI MASSACRES HAPPENED IN1974, AYVASILIOS WAS IN 1964.Obviously M E London knows so little that he used Thohni as an example, but gave 1964 as the date. How easy it is to catch people out when they know so little that they need to invent so called husbands and picture stories, even when these are non existant.

Ergs

The comments have added some balance and perspective to the article, which is shamefully inaccurate and ridiculous. The Spectator's readers and the debate on Cyprus deserve much much better. What has happened to Turkish Cypriots is not simply related to georgraphy and the North vs South scenario that followed the tragic events of 1974 following the Greek backed facist coup of the then Makarios government. It is the result of Greek Cypriot policies of racism and ethnic cleansing which began in earnest in the 1950's and persist to this very day. Policies which prevent Turkish Cypriots from having any meaningful connection with the rest of the world - to play sport, travel, communicate and trade - including their fellow Cypriots in the South!

M.E. London

To I M VELI:
I understand I have put you in a difficult position and you avoid the real facts I presented about the atrocities of the TMT terrorists even against their own people. In 1974 no Turk was hurt. In Tochni, well before 1974, a schizophrenic T/c father killed his wife and his children and the TMT terrorists put them in a bath, took a picture and published it and they blamed the...G/cs!!!
TO ERGS: T. Angastiniotis is NOT our own writer. Is our own traitor, who lives in the occupied area, protected by the turkish army.
The T/cs are not isolated. The settlers and the illegal regime are isolated, according to the UN resolutions

Hayley

Great article. Perhaps everyone will now recognise the real reason for Turkey's invasion of Cyprus - an opportunistic land grab. Nothing to do with 'rescuing' the Turkish-Cypriots. The question is, will the international community do anything about it? Cyprus is an EU member state. Will anyone intervene to stop this travesty? It's time for the Turkish troops to go home.

Turkish cypriot

John Torode, another victim of Greek brainwashing and paranoid propaganda.

The rhetoric is nauseating: "Greek cypriot victims" -as if Turkish cypriots were not killed and displaced- and "backward, aggressively nationalistic, devoutly Islamic Turkish settlers" smells of typical Greek Turkophobia.

Settlers do not outnumber Turkish cypriots- this is another Greek myth.

The annexation fear is just another paranoid theory of the Greeks and Greek cypriots who still are unable to recognize their own role in Turkey's military intervention brought on by the Greek coup and their long undying dream of ENOSIS (union with Greece). It's is political projection: they accuse Turkey of wanting to do exactly what they STILL want to do-once they gain control of the whole island. Which explains why they are hesitant to accept any peace deals that share power with the Turkish cypriots, that minority in their way of ENOSIS, whom they previously tried to annihilate.

V Mehmet, you are a self-hating Turk. You are free to move to the south if you feel that you have more in common with Greek cypriots. Haha, we shall see how they treat you, you poor gullible soul.

Joseph Davidson

Having been a member of the RAF Regiment and served in Cyprus from 1960 -1962 (RAF Akrotiri) then back again in January 1964 till August 1964 I would agree with the writer.
I hope I will see this for myself shortly, I will be returning to Cyprus on the 6th of September to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the RAF Regiment arriving on Cyprus. The celebration is being organised the local Branch of RAFA. The group being entertained to a Garden Party at Episkopi a Wreath laying Ceremony at Waynes Keep Cemetary anh hopefully some site seeing and fact finding.

Cheers

Joe Davidson

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Omer Seyhan

Firstly, Meral should be booted out of Friends of Cyprus for lack of professionalism towards her fellow committee member. Couldn't you wait until the next FOC meeting to echo your criticism instead of doing it here Meral?

Second, maybe it should be pointed out that Fevzi and Ata Cholak are both Embargoed members (senior members). In fact Fevzi is its chairperson and I think they know each other in case anybody is fooled.

One of the tactics of Embargoed is to blitz British journalists like John Torode with emails and posts (often using different names) to make them believe they have offended Turkish Cypriots. Its all about creating a false climate of tension when there is no tension.

I am a Turkish Cypriot and I dont agree with everything John writes, some things I do, but it most certainly does NOT offend me. Nor is it anti-Turkish Cypriot in any way. Its his right to write this. If you disagree then write your own article and get it published if you can.

As for John;'s article, yes it appears that Turkey does want to annex the north. Did it not ship over 150,000 settlers? Disenfranchise Turkish Cypriot voters in elections by importing voters? This is what happened in Hatay, which eventually became absorbed as a part of Turkey.

Selen Sedat

John from Girne, Cyprus --- "For the first time since Turkey seized Northern Cyprus in 1974..

Not a good start to the article at all. Those of us who understand these things know that the Turks did not seize anything. They liberated the Turkish Cypriots from attempted genocide led by Greek fascists.

There is as much chance of the two communities getting along within one polity here as there would be in Kosovo. So forget it."

John, Turkey's intervention was welcomed by most Turkish Cypriots in 1974. I agree with you there. But what happened after 1974 is what has turned many Turkish Cypriots against Turkey. Something you must have noticed living in North Cyprus, right?

Let's recap. Our saviour ships in more settlers than there are native Turkish Cypriots. They are assimilating Turkish Cypriots into a very Anatolian Turkish culture - this is intentional. They use North Cyprus for money laundering and for Turkey's own interests. They fiddle about with election results so that the Turkish Cypriots they saved cannot vote for the party they really want into power. Turkish financial aid is not just generosity but a bloody good way to control Turkish Cypriots and get them to do as Ankara desires. Most Turkish Cypriots realise this and are fed up, except of course those who are on Turkey's payroll! Some of them are leaving messages here......

angel kyriacou

Excellent article... pls continue the good work that might put some pressure into Turkey to finally withdraw its occupying forces and allow cypriots to live in peace

Erol

Meral Ece is just an opportunistic politician who acts without thinking. She jumps the gun and joins one group only to abandon it and then join the other, basically whoever happens to say anything she thinks sounds good. I would worry about her Omer. Nobody takes her seriously anyway.

Agree with John Torode's article.

I disagree with Alex K. Just because Turkey has no interest in withdrawing from Cyprus it does not mean its the end of her ambitions to join the EU. The more I think about it the more I realise that Turkey is going to get away with it. She has began the accession process without obstacles and now has became a UN securitry council member (temporary) while it occupies the territory of another state in breach of countless UN resolutions... I'm rapidly losing hope.

Cihan

I think the article is outdated now but I just want to say that Cllr Meral Ece is an embarrassment to me as a Turkish Cypriot, she represents nobody but herself. She's probably with the marginalised Embargoed group. Its time they got into the mainstream and supported the peace process!

cialis

Goood!

padova

Great thank You !
Good job :)