By ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ (GREEK) TÜRKÇE (TURKISH)
The probe of friendship that the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, has been attempting to launch towards Turkey since he took over the presidency of the Republic, does not seem to be working. As the president’s spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis has informed us, these well thought-out strategic moves by the president that brought him on the same couch with Tayyip Erdogan and Hakan Fidan are being made because “the Republic of Cyprus is seeking direct dialogue with Turkey” (Turkish Cypriots sidelined, we don’t want them).
The Turkish Foreign Minister, however, having personally tasted the Republic of Cyprus’ desire for direct dialogue with Turkey, not only does not accept dialogue with Turkey, nor with the Turkish Cypriots. He said that he has talked with the Europeans, Americans and people from other countries and “they all agree that the reality on the island is that the two communities live separately from each other and the two communities have carved their own path, live their own lives and go their own way.” So we don’t need to go into a process of bringing them together and reuniting Cyprus (after half a century of living separately). “Looking for a way to bring them together in a forced way and put them in power-sharing is not something that will yield results, that is, it is incompatible with the reality,” he said, explaining that he was thinking more about the poor Greek Cypriots than the Turks.
“Twenty years ago, the president, who was then prime minister, put forward (in the Annan Plan referendum in 2004) the will and the Turkish Cypriots said ‘yes’. So now, when the High Representative of the EU comes and raises this issue, I say to them “put yourself in the place of the Greek Cypriot administration and put yourself in the place of the Greek Cypriot” people. You have been living here for fifty years, all countries see you as a state, they treat you as a state, you make your own decisions, you live off your own prosperity, suddenly, with an agreement, a group of people from the north will come, you will share the country, the prosperity, everything, everything will be divided by two”.
“Everyone knows that this will not be accepted by the Greek Cypriots”, the Turkish Foreign Minister concluded, leaving us stunned. Just imagine: Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s current Foreign minister, after 20 years, is drawing on the main argument of the Greek Cypriot “no” wave, to respond to the Europeans and Americans who want dialogue and to Christodoulides who wants direct dialogue. Greek Cypriots do not want to share their prosperity with Turkish Cypriots!
