In 1959 Turkey, Greece and Great Britain agreed on a formula to settle the Cyprus problem. It was obvious that Enosis (union with mainland Greece) was out of the question as long as the Turkish Cy-priots refused to accept it and Turkey supported them. A compromise proposition for “double Enosis” had been turned down by the Greek side, so the only remaining solu¬tion seemed to be “independence” for Cyprus.
After full consultations with the leaders of the two peoples, the Zurich and London Agreements were drawn up. The Turks and Greeks of Cyprus were to become co-founders of the republic and Enosis in any form was to be prohibited, with its prevention guaranteed.
The two peoples were to be auto¬nomous in their communal af-fairs, while participating in the central govern...
The misapplication of harsh politics towards the Turkish Cypriots by Greek Cypriot administration leader Tassos Papadopoulos is exacerbating the partition of the island.
If he is re-elected as the so-called president of the Republic of Cyprus again in the February 2008 presidential election, all hopes of unification for the island will sink with no hope of surfacing ever again.
If Mr. Papadopoulos insists on enforcing his mid-20th century chauvinist politics during his second presidential period from 2008 to 2013, as he did in the first period, separation in the island will defi-nitely become inevitable.
This time there will be no hints of an Annan plan, EU appanage or ample means for Turkish Cypriots to seek a United Cyprus.
Now in the north almost 75 percent...
These words belong to Archbishop Chrysostomos II, the archbi-shop of the Church of Cyprus, taken from his interview given to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, published on Jan. 5, 2007, and these shameful words start the very last sentence of the first paragraph. Of course this was not the first time he spoke of Turkey or Turkish Cy-priots and targeted them as the eternal enemy.
The sentence “Europe is Christian” also belongs to him. “Of course Christianity is not simply European, but in any case Europe is Christian. Europe before Christianity was just a geographical term. Its inhabitants were distinguished as those who lived within the borders of the Roman Empire or Oikoumene (lands inhabited by Greeks), and those who lived outside the borders, and were generally called ‘ba...
The exclusion of universities in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) from the Bologna Process, in other words a further em-bargo on the Turkish Cypriots — this time on education — is another thing of which the European Union should be ashamed.
Turkish Cypriots are already suffering under unjust political, economic, cultural, social, sporting and trade embargoes.
That the six excellent universities in northern Cyprus are unable to join the Bologna Process, which seeks to strengthen the ties between universities in the European family, is a wholly reprehensible decision.
This shameful result of the Bologna Ministerial Conference, held in London, actually originated from EU mishandling of the accession of Cyprus.
With respect to the soverei...
After the Turkish Cypriots declared the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) — an independent state in the northern terri-tories of Cyprus — on Nov. 15, 1983, UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar without delay called the Security Council for an urgent and special meeting.
Having heard the statement of the foreign minister of the Greek Cypriot administration, at its 2,500th meeting the Security Council adopted the infamous resolution filed as UN Resolution 541 (1983) on Nov. 18, 1983.
Since then the KKTC has been considered legally invalid by the UN member states, and the Turkish Cypriots have suffered under unjust political, economic, cultural, social, sporting and trade embargoes.
Although the Turkish Cypriots are now considered legal ci...
