Bildt highlights Greek responsibility in Cyprus’ division July 28, 2009
Posted by Yilan in Human rights, Turkey.Tags: Cyprus, Kibris, Turkey, Turkish, Turkish Cypriot, Turkish population, Turkiye
add a comment
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, has presented a historical account of the Cyprus issue that included Greek and Greek Cypriot actions that eventually led to a Turkish military intervention and the island’s division.
Bildt, whose country will be at the helm of the EU until January, made the remarks in response to a salvo of questions by Greek and Greek Cypriot members of the European Parliament at a hearing of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
Many of the questions directed at Bildt, who was presenting the Sweden’s foreign affairs and security priorities to the Foreign Affairs Committee, centered on whether Turkey would open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic by the end of this year.
The EU Council’s sole decision concerning Cyprus is not related to the ports issue, Bildt said in response, adding that the EU would examine all decisions related to Cyprus and then “decide what could be done once all liabilities have been addressed,” the Anatolia news agency reported, suggesting that Bildt was referring to EU pledges to lift the international isolation of Turkish Cypriots.
The EU Council’s decisions concerning Cyprus should be considered “parts of the same whole,” Bildt emphasized, in an apparent reference to Turkey’s stance, saying that it would open its ports and airports when the isolation of Turkish Cypriots is eased by the EU, Anatolia reported.
When a deputy suggested that Turkey has been invading an EU member country with its peace forces in the northern part of Cyprus, Bildt referred to the incidents which eventually led to division of the island in 1974.
“At the time, [Col. Georgios] Papadopoulos was the leader of the military junta in Athens. The junta in Athens started a series of incidents in Cyprus which led to this [intervention of Turkish forces in the north.] This is the reality; there cannot be any junta in EU members,” Bildt was quoted as saying by Anatolia.
“Why didn’t it [resolution in Cyprus] happen in 2004?” Bildt also asked.
The four-decade-old Cyprus problem erupted after the eastern Mediterranean island was granted independence from Britain in 1960, which was soon followed by an outbreak of inter-communal clashes in 1963. The island was ethnically divided between a Greek south and a Turkish north when the Turkish military intervened in 1974 under the terms of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee after diplomacy failed to end unrest on the island.
Ankara does not recognize the Greek Cypriot government, which entered the EU in May 2004 as the official representative of the entire island. Ankara has consistently called for steps to end the international isolation of Turkish Cypriots after they voted for a UN plan to reunite the island in 2004, but despite pledges from the EU, there has been no significant progress since then.
Greece must respect Macedonians July 26, 2009
Posted by Yilan in Human rights abuses.Tags: Greece, Ivanov, Macedonia, Macedonians, Macedonians in Greece, Makedonca, Makedonija, Makedonya, Yunanistan
add a comment
Macedonia wants a compromise in the name issue with Greece, but will not accept a settlement that offends the dignity of citizens, stresses President Gjorge Ivanov in Friday’s interview with Serbian daily “Blic”.
“Macedonia and its citizens remain committed to the strategy of dialogue and compromise. However, the UN mediator, our EU and NATO partners, as well as Greek leaders, know that unprincipled compromise will bring no good to the countries, since a hurt and offended country cannot be a true ally and friend. Therefore, all solutions and compromises must take into account the identity and dignity of our citizens”, says President Ivanov.
According to him, citizens would have the final word on “a rational name compromise”.
Ivanov also refers to Macedonia’s relations with Serbia and Kosovo, saying that the decision for recognition of Kosovo’s independence was taken on the basis of Macedonia’s national interest and should not represent an obstacle for improvement of relations with Serbia.
“The issue should be seen from a regional and international perspective, taking into consideration the specifics of the Macedonian society. Kosovo should not burden bilateral relations and it is quite clear that Macedonia and Serbia have the full right to formulate their own policies on the basis of countries’ national interests. I want to underline that the imperative of Macedonia’s foreign policy is to establish good relations with all neighbors”, adds President Ivanov.
He also expresses hope that disagreements between the Serbian and Macedonian Orthodox Churches would be overcome.
“I hope that both churches will resolve the open issues as soon as possible, thus ending the mistrust and misunderstandings between our peoples”, says President Gjorge Ivanov in the interview with “Blic”.
TURKISH CYPRIOTS CELEBRATE JULY 20 PEACE AND FREEDOM DAY July 26, 2009
Posted by Yilan in Turkey.Tags: Cyprus, Kibris, Turkey, Turkish, Turkish Cypriot
add a comment
July 20 Peace and Freedom Day, which marks the 35th anniversary of Turkey’s 1974 Peace Operation on the island, was celebrated with official ceremonies and parades in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) yesterday. Speaking at an official ceremony at Girne’s (Kyrenia) Bogaz Martyrs Monument, also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek, State Minister and chief negotiator for Turkey’s European Union talks Egemen Bagis, TRNC Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu, former TRNC President Rauf Denktas, TRNC Parliament Speaker Hasan Bozer, Turkish First Army Commander Ergin Saygun, Turkish Peace Forces in the TRNC Commander Hilmi Akin Zorlu, and many other officials and guests, TRNC President Mehmet Ali Talat called July 20 the beginning of the survival of the Turkish Cypriots, adding that it should not be seen as a symbol of a stalemate on the Cyprus issue but instead an breakthrough towards reaching a lasting solution.
On the ongoing comprehensive talks between the island’s two sides, Talat said, “We are not far from a solution to the Cyprus issue,” but added, “In light of lessons from past inconsistent behavior by the Greek Cypriots and the European Union and not wanting to again disappoint the Turkish Cypriots, we are acting quietly and prudently.” UN-brokered efforts to reunite Cyprus collapsed in 2004 when the Greek Cypriots rejected a reunification plan in a referendum.
The Turkish Cypriots approved the plan in a simultaneous vote. Talat and Greek Cypriot leader Christofias launched peace talks last September aimed at finding a comprehensive solution to the division of the island. Stating that the 1974 peace operation served to safeguard the basic rights and freedoms of Turkish Cypriots and affirm their rights of partnership on the island, Talat said, “We have moved towards a realistic, peaceful and permanent solution to the issue thanks to the peace operation.” He added, “A solution on Cyprus cannot be reached while disregarding the presence of the Turkish Cypriots, leaving the Turkish Cypriots out of the economic, social and cultural life of the island, and denying Turkish Cypriots’ political equality and self-rule.
The political parameters that emerged on July 20, 1974 showed the reality to the Greek Cypriots and the entire world in a concrete way.” Expressing firm determination to reach a just, permanent and secure solution to the issue, Talat said Turkish Cypriots aim to receive the status they deserve in the EU, and to receive recognition under international law. Stressing Turkish Cypriots’ appreciation for Turkey and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) for the peace operation, and for the Turkish people’s support, Talat said the martyrs and veterans who took part in the operation would always be remembered with gratitude and respect.
Turkey won’t give up Cyprus rights July 26, 2009
Posted by Yilan in Human rights abuses.Tags: Cyprus, Kibris, Turkey, Turkish, Turkish Cypriot
add a comment
Turkey will never abandon its rights as a “guarantor” power on Cyprus, even if a peace deal is signed between Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders later this year, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said on Tuesday.
Cicek was speaking in northern Cyprus on the 35th anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of the island, which took place five days after a brief Greek-inspired coup.
Turkey justified its military intervention by its status as a guarantor power, with Greece and Britain, under the 1960 treaty that gave Cyprus its independence from London.
The guarantor rights – effectively meaning that any of the three can intervene to restore constitutional order – are a key sticking issue in slow-moving peace talks between the Greek and Turkish communities on the divided island.
“Only a solution that reflects the realities of two peoples and two states is possible. It must also include Turkey’s effective guarantor rights,” Cicek said. “Turkey will never renege on its guarantor obligations.”
Greek Cypriots insist the guarantor provisions be ditched, and Turkish Cypriots that they must be maintained. For Greek Cypriots, who want reunification as a bizonal federation, the Turkish call for a two-state deal is also a non-starter.
Anniversary sirens
Advertisement
Across a United Nations-controlled ceasefire line in Cyprus’s south, the anniversary of the invasion was marked by Greek Cypriot air raid sirens piercing the silence just before dawn, marking the hour Turkish troops landed on the island.
Reunification talks were launched in September 2008, with diplomats hoping the process can end a decades-old conflict which is complicating Turkey’s bid to join the European Union.
The diplomats want the talks concluded before Turkish Cypriot presidential elections in April 2010. Greek Cypriots represent Cyprus in the EU, and will not consent to Turkey joining the bloc as long as the island is split.
“It is true that we are not far from a settlement, but we have to proceed carefully and quietly…to avoid disappointment again,” Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat said.
At a memorial service for the Greek Cypriot victims of the invasion on the other side of Cyprus’s divide, Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias said: “It is a fact that we have diametrically opposing views.”
Previous reunification efforts on Cyprus collapsed in 2004 when Greek Cypriots rejected a settlement blueprint accepted by Turkish Cypriots.
“The window of opportunity will not stay open indefinitely,” Cicek said.
Greece speaks on Aegean airspace issue July 25, 2009
Posted by Yilan in Turkey.Tags: Turkey, Yunanistan, Greece, Turkiye, Dora Bakoyannis, Ankara, Ahmet Davutoglu
1 comment so far
Greek foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis has spoken out on the recent surge of Turkish fighter jets entering Greek airspace in the Aegean Sea region, saying that Athens was approaching the situation with self-confidence and cool-headedness based on international law.
Speaking on July 18 2009, Bakoyannis said that she still intended to visit Ankara in response to an invitation from her Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, but a heavy workload was preventing her from going this summer, Kathimerini said.
Concerns in Athens have been sharpened by Ankara’s decision to authorise its oil corporation to prospect for oil beyond Turkish territorial waters, the Greek daily said.
The flights by Turkish jets have led to official protests by Athens and indignation in the Greek media.
Greek media said that the jets had passed over populated islands and on July 13, the overflights had threatened the safety of the flights at the airport in Samos Island.
Nafthemporiki said that Athens had sent a protest note to Ankara.
Bulgarian news agency Focus said that Ethnos newspaper said that Ankara had “gone beyond all boundaries” in its actions in the Aegean Sea.
Vima said that the Greek government was concerned that there would be a “hot incident” – a term meaning military conflict, Focus said.
The Turkish military was continuing with provocative behaviour in spite of the formal protests by Greece and the statement by Greek prime minister Costas Karamanlis that Turkey was putting its European Union membership application prospects at risk.
On July 15, website Haber.Turk.net quoted the foreign ministry in Ankara as saying that Turkey regards the Aegean as a sea that unites Turkey and Greece, not as a source of confrontation, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
“There are many problems regarding the Aegean, and they can be solved only if they are handled as a whole,” ministry spokesperson Burak Ozugergin told a weekly news conference in Ankara.
Ozugergin said the new claims of Greece regarding the air space over the Aegean Sea could be solved when two countries see each other as “the two partners of the future”, and reaffirmed that they are heading towards a partnership in the European Union (EU), the website said.
He said that Turkey and Greece continued exploratory talks, and expressed Turkey’s belief that the current problem could not be solved by causing tension. “We will sit down and solve it,” he said.
Amid the tensions, Today’s Zaman took a different tack, publishing an article headlined “Greek cow violates Turkish-Greek border”.
