THE GREAT CONTRADICTION

During the more than half a century of existence of the Cyprus problem, a great contradiction has developed in the official policy of the Greek Cypriot side. While negotiating for a federal solution, and while rightly blaming Denktash for the obstacles he put in the way of this prospect, [the Greek Cypriot side] at the same time was constantly cultivating the position that “we will never abandon the Republic of Cyprus”. A reasonable position, at least as long as efforts to resolve the problem continue. Problematic, however, in terms of the impression it creates both within and outside Cyprus. Especially within Cyprus, from the moment the Republic of Cyprus was definitively and irrevocably identified with the Greek Cypriot community.

And to avoid any misunderstanding, the aim of all [negotiation] efforts was to transform the Republic of Cyprus into a federal state with the participation of Turkish Cypriots too. In 2004, in the midst of all the turmoil stirred up by the Annan plan, I remember a surprised President Tassos Papadopoulos reacting strongly because the Republic of Cyprus would now be called… “United Republic of Cyprus”! The name given by that plan was perhaps the best name that could have emerged from the negotiations with the other side, which considered and still considers the Republic of Cyprus to be “defunct”. The term “United Republic of Cyprus”, satisfied almost to the fullest degree what we called “transformation” [of the Republic of Cyprus into a federal state].

Listening to the President of the Republic’s statements after yesterday’s parade, I find once again that the specific contradiction – which is not verbal – continues. “Sixty-three years later, the most valuable thing we have is the Republic of Cyprus. And we will not only protect this Republic of Cyprus but we will strengthen it even further”, said Mr. Christodoulides. And, I repeat, this is a correct position as long as the current situation on the Cyprus problem continues.

I only hope that this increasingly intense political declaration, which has built a “state nationalism” in recent years, does not further consolidate the belief that the Republic of Cyprus is strictly the property of the Greek Cypriot community. Because, that would mean all the good intentions we express for solving the Cyprus problem are nothing more than a disguised acceptance of the current circumstances of occupation.

Source: THE GREAT CONTRADICTION