Board of Directors of Association of Cypriot Refugees in Greece Pens Open Letter to Erdogan

To His Excellency the President of the Republic of Türkiye,

Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Open letter from the Cypriot Refugees and Displaced persons Living in Greece

Mr. President,

You are visiting Greece today, having declared that Your visit will be governed by a spirit of understanding, good neighborliness and resolution of open issues with the characteristic expression win-win (kazan-kazan). Intentions which we welcome because these must apply between neighbours.

We, the Cypriot Refugees and Displaced Persons, who constitute a large part of the almost 50,000 Cypriots living and working in Greece (including a few of our Turkish Cypriot compatriots) victims of the tragedy of 1974, wish to appeal to You to show the same spirit in the issues of Cyprus, so that Peace, Understanding and Good Neighbourliness will prevail throughout our long-suffering region. So that, to set a good example, that will have a positive impact on the wider region of the wretched Middle East.

We ask You to assume Your responsibilities on the basis of the only way that should govern relations between states and peoples, namely among others the International Law, the Principles and Decisions of the UN and other Intergovernmental Organizations, the Law of the Sea and the European Court of Human Rights.

In Cyprus the Greek Military Junta carried out the Coup of July 15, 1974, which most of us resisted. You too know the consequences of such actions with the coup d’état carried out against You on 15-16 July 2016. The military invasion of Cyprus by Your country on 20 July 1974 was carried out with the “declared” aim of “restoring constitutional order”. Except as it turned out this remained into a continuous occupation of 37% of our territory in violation of decisions of UN and EU resolutions, the agreement on the creation and establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, to which You are a signatory party, which explicitly excludes partition, secession, annexation with any third state, which unfortunately continues for 50 years.

The issue of Missing Persons, this most sensitive aspect of the Cyprus tragedy, remains unresolved, for almost 50% of the recorded cases of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Missing Persons for the 60 years that the problem exists, as many of the evidence are located in areas controlled by Your occupying army. We kindly ask You to act to remove the obstacles.

At the intercommunal talks in Crans-Montana, we came very close to finding a solution. On important issues convergences had been found, such as the territorial issue, the property issue, the establishment and operation of a Bi-zonal Bi-communal Federation, the basic principles of a single and unified sovereignty, an international personality and a citizenship of the new federal state, but also the four basic European freedoms (movement, establishment, ownership, exercise of profession) of every citizen and every community that would be exercised without discrimination of racial origin or religion. The confirmation of the rotating Presidency and the effective participation of the Turkish Cypriot community in the Federal authorities and decisions are still to be finalised. As were the agreements on the withdrawal of troops, the abolition of guarantee and intervention rights, and the setting of a timetable for the stay of ELDYK and TÜRDYK. We were five minutes away for the solution of the Cyprus problem and for Cyprus to finally become a normal member state of the UN and the EU, as the UN Secretary-General Mr. Antonio Gutteres stated that he was seeking. And close to this is the marginal imposition with fifty-one percent (51%) of Your chosen one as leader of the Turkish Cypriot community with votes of thousands of settlers, who altered the will of our native compatriots Turkish Cypriots.

We reiterate that we welcome Your Country’s European ambitions provided adjustments are made compatible with the European acquis. The provisions required by this project, and in particular the implementation of the commitments arising from Your status as a candidate country for accession or candidate for special partnership status with the EU, require, inter alia, the implementation of Your Cypriot obligations (normalization of relations with neighboring states, the Ankara protocol, etc.).

Finally, You know, and we support it, that the meetings of the discussions in Crans-Montana contain a whole chapter of convergences on Natural Gas and other Natural Resources. The Turkish Cypriot community will enjoy its fair share. And the Federal Cypriot State will be open to discuss with You the sale of part of it. Of course, the solution of the Cyprus problem must come first with the reunification of our country, and the achievement of a comprehensive, just, viable and functional solution of the Cyprus Problem, for the benefit of all Cypriots. Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots. Armenians, Latins and Maronites.

With this, Mr President, we hope that we will be heard and that a win-win (kazan-kazan) prospect will prevail among us as well.

The Board of Directors of the

Association of Cypriot Refugees in Greece – Cyprus 1974