Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus regarding the events in the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus and in Greece on the Anniversary of the Establishment of EOKA

On the anniversary of the establishment of EOKA terrorist organization, which was established on April 1, 1955 with the aim of committing genocide against the Turkish Cypriot people and annexing the island of Cyprus to Greece, and which has written its name in bloody letters in the history of Cyprus, the messages issued and the celebrations held by the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus and Greece reveal that there has been no change in the Cyprus policy of the Greek Cypriot/Greek mentality from the past to the present.

In Greece, it was decided to organize events in schools on the occasion of the EOKA anniversary. Following increasing doses of such messages, a Greek Member of the European Parliament went as far as stating that the protesters’ slogan that “Cyprus is Greek” was correct because “Cyprus is Greek”.

It is amply clear that the only aim of Greek Cypriot/Greek duo, who have seen themselves as the sole owners of the island of Cyprus since the very beginning, is to force the Turkish Cypriot people to accept “minority” rights by intimidating them through policies of harassment and that they do not want to reach an agreement with the co-owner of this island, the Turkish Cypriot people, whom they see as a “minority community”.

The Greek Cypriot leadership has no sincerity in its so-called rhetoric of reaching an agreement and instead of encouraging its people to act with common sense opts to exacerbate hostility towards the Turkish Cypriot people, attempting to poison young minds with seeds of hatred, using the education system as an instrument for this dirty politics. This creates an irreversible damage and further deepens the trust gap between the two peoples on the island.

We urge the Greek Cypriot leadership to reconsider the mistake of instilling mentality of domination into younger generations and to encourage its people to accept the current realities on the island. The only reality on the island of Cyprus is the existence of two separate States and two distinct peoples living side by side. A sustainable peaceful future can only be achieved by reaffirming the sovereign equality and equal international status of both peoples and their respective States.