By Chris Elliott…….
We receive many comments on articles we publish and we have received the following comment which is so well written and making a point that so many Turkish Cypriots and others who believe the TRNC and its people have been shortchanged time and time again by the UN, the EU and the world in general by supporting the enforcement of embargoes and non-recognition of the TRNC.
The comment replicated below was made on the following article and can be read by clicking here.
TRNC News 14.2.2017 – Akinci: “Negotiations will lose their meaning if no steps taken on enosis issue”
Comment on the above by Pinar Wheeler
“This seems to be another puerile tactical behaviour on the part of Greeks to show their total disrespect to the whole peace negotiation process with the Turks over the Cyprus deal. The negotiation effort has become a farce, an embarrassment. They will not compromise with the Turks as history tells us. Not only did they try to wipe us out in the past but since 1974 they have taken every conceivable step to erase any traces or legacy of us on the island of Cyprus.
We have remained invisible and have not been recognised or accepted by any nation. Just forget the important fact that the Ottomans ruled the island for over five hundred years. It is still unbelievable that they so obviously wish to negate our existence by totally ignoring us. They spend all their energy blocking any attempts by the Turkish Cypriots to promote holidays etc. and they win because immediately all the posters on the British buses promoting Northern Cyprus are removed. Just like that, because they wish it so. People in great numbers don’t know how to get a flight to Northern Cyprus and they won’t. If they were to accept us as equals then that would actually mean that we would have rights too. So they deny our existence.
Remember the Elgin marbles coming up regularly in the British press with demands from the Greeks. They will never forget. It’s about time that the Turks in Northern Cyprus realise this. We were not the instigators of the war in Cyprus we were just trying to live peacefully. Are we totally blinded by the fact that all Greeks want to do is make Cyprus a part of Greece and there is no deviation from that. They make that loud and clear by sending us on a wild goose chase and having a laugh at our expense.
We don’t need to go back with a cap in hand to plead our case in order to be accepted, or respected by the Greeks. We were the ones that were slaughtered and neglected for all those years living in fear of our lives. Is it any surprise that so many Turks emigrated to Europe and elsewhere. Did it have something to do with the fact that we were unable to sleep safely in our own beds. Were we not left in Turkish enclaves too afraid to do anything. Even having to go to hospitals was an ordeal because we were physically searched at every check point and these used to get blocked for days on end. I know because I missed my first and only chance to dance on stage with my favourite partner, a boy, at my first year at school on Children’s day commemorated on the 23rd of April. I was heart broken. This of course only affected the Turks as these control zones only worked one way, and it was against the Turks as they happened to be the undesirables. If you wore a uniform and especially if you worked for the British then you might suddenly disappear. I know, we were there. Why are we in the minority is it any wonder? They wanted us off the island and we fled because our rights were taken away we were not accepted. They wanted Enosis.
Thank goodness Turkey intervened. They helped because they knew what was happening while the rest of the world looked on. No offer of help from anyone then, what a surprise!. We shouldn’t apologise for our existence. Our rights should be recognised and respected.”
Very good expression of how every Turkish Cypriot person feels at the moment Pınar Wheeler! Thanks.
It is time for all of the Turkish Cypriots to raise their voices and just blast the worldwide eardrums of those who would deprive the TRNC and its people of recognition and fair treatment
Dear Chris and Margaret,
I follow your articles and others printed on your cyprusscene page and it is very refreshing to see an English couple who have discovered the TRUTH of the Cyprus issue between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
And how the Greek side with the help of other nations have managed to put the Cypriot Turks into an open prison for over half a century I think these countries that spoiled the Hellenic nation of Greece and the always conniving Cypriot, so called State that managed to graduate from the highest school of liars way back in 1950 under the guidance of Makarios, the Archbishop of the Orthodox Church who decided to unite Cyprus with Greece.
He had no thoughts for the 35% Turkish Cypriot population and so he called in Grivas a murdering General from Greece who formed a terrorist organisation called EOKA with a bunch of killers to help him and anybody who objected to Enosis, he had them killed.
Those people who were killed for objecting to the move for Enosis were Cypriot Greeks and Turks and English as well and so many Turkish Cypriots emigrated and their properties were requisitioned so they could never come back and the Turkish population has diminished to its present low numbers. I too had to leave my homeland in 1956 and there were also two attempts on my own life, one in Cyprus and later one in London.
The last Greek attempt to annihilate the Turks or force them out of Cyprus was stopped by Turkey who as a guarantor power intervened in 1974 and the Turkish Cypriots have been able to live in peace and make a future for themselves despite being disadvantaged by embargoes and being unrecognised.
With the help of the EU, the Greek Cypriots are trying to push Turkey out of future involvement as a guarantor power so they can achieve their objective and the EU, UN and others are still not aware of the lies and crocodile tears of the Greek Cypriots as they manage to convince everybody that the Turks and Turkish Cypriots are all to blame for the tragedy of the Cyprus Issue. The Greek Cypriots have always laid the blame for the Cyprus issue on the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey and don’t seem to accept anything that happened prior to 1974 when Turkey intervened to stop the slaughter of the Turkish Cypriots.
Yesterday the 16th February 2017 we have seen angry Greek Cypriot Leader, Nikos Anastasiades, walking out of the Leaders meeting saying “I have nothing else to say” according to Turkish Cypriot, President Akinci when the UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor, Espen Barth Eide tried to wrap up the discussion.
The Greek Cypriots are adamant that they will destroy the Turkish Cypriot nation even though they are destroying themselves with their lies, lies and yet more lies.
Thank you John for your very comprehensive comment and as you have requested, this will be published as a stand alone article so that it reaches a larger readership around the world.
Only thing that shall awaken the Worlds Lathergy to Turkish Cypriots dilamas can and will be the Accession of TRNC to become a Wilayet of Turkey.
Thank you for this article which says it all, no way are the Greek government going to agree to a settlement, whatever we give from the Turkish side it will never be enough.
Can we not go for independence ?
Thank you R Aston for your comment and after so many years of false promises lots of people would like to see the TRNC recognised