WE SHOULD ELEVATE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE T/C COMMUNITY

There was a time when the word ‘solidarity’ may have seemed a little distant and otherworldly – especially as regards its exact meaning – since our lives and day-to-day reality did not have so much… need for it. But things come and go, and solidarity between us, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, is more urgent than ever. Turkish Cypriots are in a terrible predicament, especially now, in the Tatar era, since they’re seeing the nightmare of partition turn into something that is no longer simply a nightmare, while things have become even more difficult as a result of the Greek Cypriot community’s handling of Crans-Montana. On many occasions, Turkish Cypriots have asserted the need for a solution in an emphatic way, with mass demonstrations and protests, being well aware of the situation they are in and precisely what they are asking for: reunification, peace, progress and prosperity, all that humans need to live in this world. Beyond any shadow of a doubt, the situation we find ourselves in is one where relations with the Turkish Cypriot community must reach the point of no return, that is, where nothing can jeopardise them. Already, in the field of culture, interesting and substantial work is being done so that our common place and time remains alive, since it is our common identity that motivates us, that always brings us to the same starting point. On the other side of things however is nationalist rhetoric and the spewing of hatred, that may bring us not to the same starting point, but to the same end. Politics, of course, is conducted at a technocratic, political/official level. But history has shown that no one can ignore the will of the people, let alone their anger. And here, nearly 50 years on, anger is building up and the need for a solution is growing, getting gigantic. Many things depend on the way in which each and every one of us sees the world, ideologically and psychologically. There are also those things that are not open to interpretation or dependent on political perspective. One of these is the open wound of the Cyprus problem. Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, we do need each other more than ever before, precisely because we feel ourselves drifting apart with each passing day, because the imaginary wall seems to be taking shape. Efforts towards strengthening relations must never diminish, so that together we can resist any disturbing developments for our country. It is not utopian, but the bitter truth: the train is moving further and further out of sight. If we want to be consistent with everything we say and write, we must do our utmost to bring the train back to us.

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