Speech of Andros Kyprianou, General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL, at the special session of the House of Representatives convened to denounce the fascist coup d’etat and Turkish invasion
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 15th July 2014, Nicosia
This year marks the 40th anniversary since the day the guns of betrayal were turned against Cyprus; since the day EOKA B and the Greek junta took up arms against the Republic of Cyprus; since the day when Turkey found the doors open to invade and cut our homeland with the barbed wires of the occupation.
Every year on this day we honor those who died fighting for the freedom and dignity of Cyprus and its people. We honor those who did not flinch or yield; those who have stayed forever a memory in a photo in the empty embrace of the bereaved motherof Cyprus. We honor those who resisted; those who fought in the forefront of the battle and defended legality from the betrayal; those who with few means at their disposal, but with a great deal of courage stood up and fought against hordes of the Turkish army.
Every year at this time a public debate takes place that awakens many memories. Last year bold parallels were made by the President of the Democratic Rally party who argued that the Left carries the stigma of abstaining from the struggle of EOKA and that the “Right is loaded with the coup d’etat of the junta.” This year the debate attempted to add another, let me say, ahistorical equation arguing that “we are mainly to blame ourselves for the events of 1974.”
It’s really a shame that four decades later, some forces and circles cannot find the strength to look the truth in the eye and admit it. It is dangerous that others, even though they know the truth, are trying to distort, not to change the past, but to ensure whether the future suits them. But even if they rewrite history, they cannot change it. It’s there, to remind us how we arrived at the crime committed and to teach us how, four decades later, we can vindicate our homeland.
In 1974 our people were betrayed, from the outside and from within. This is the truth. This has been certified by the Finding of the File of Cyprus commissioned by the House of Representatives that was written based on the testimonies of many of the leading protagonists who testified before the Commission. Our people has lived this truth to its very bones. This is the reason why any attempt to revise what happened in 1974 represents a double provocation. It first and foremost provokes History itself, but also the memory of the Cypriots who lived and were marked by the events of that period.
The main responsibility for the tragedy of the 1974 lies with American and NATO imperialism. The U.S. and NATO wanted to use Cyprus as a spy base, an unsinkable aircraft carrier and a base. To serve this purpose, partitionist plans were drawn up from the 1960’s. The statement of US President Johnson’s special Cyprus representative Dean Acheson in October 1966 is indicative, who argued that “the best solution to the Cyprus problem is the partition of Cyprus. And I say to you that if I had at my disposal the US Sixth Fleet I could solve the problem even tomorrow.”
The Republic of Cyprus, independent and non-aligned, was not helpful to them. One plan after the another was prepared. According to the Finding of the File of Cyprus, in February 1972 the U.S. gave the green light for the execution of a coup d’etat. “On behalf of the other across the Atlantic ocean, the verbal OK was given by his consellor,” said Mr. Alexander and and former Greek Ambassodor of the Greek Junta in Cyprus Mr. Panagiotakos added the following, “Therefore the GREEN LIGHT is given.” Eventually, the information was leaked. The first to bring this leak to the attention of President Makarios was the then Soviet ambassador in Nicosia, Astavin, who informed Makarios of the decision taken by the NATO Summit held in Lisbon. Headed by AKEL, the Cypriot people organized mass mobilisations to prevent a coup d’etat, staying overnight in the square of the Archibishops Palace. It has been clearly demonstrated that neither inside nor externally, did everybody play the same role.
How we got to 1974 is known to all. Neither the geostrategic objectives for the subordination of Cyprus to NATO interests, nor the expansionist Turkish designs would have succeeded had there not been any willing Trojan Horses to implement these plans. The Junta of Greece and EOKA B of Grivas played this role. None of all these henchmen of nationalism woke up on the morning of 15th July 1974 and “spontaneously” grabed arms to overthrow Makarios, “misled by the vision of Enosis, union with Greece” as all those who feel uncomfortable every July like to say. They were consciously focused on preparing the coup d’etat, indifferent to the fact that this would open the backdoor for the Turkish army to invade Cyprus.
The coup d’etat was planned deliberately and was methodically being prepared years before 1974. It was being finalised by EOKA B until the very last minute. These plans were promoted through the ideological preparation of the coup d’etat in Cypriot society, especially in the military camps. There are testimonies in the Finding itself, confirming the cooperation of EOKA B with officers and leading members of the National Guard. There are as many testimonies certifying the involvement of EOKA B in all the criminal actions against Makarios, who of course did not correlate with the demand for Enosis. The aim was to seize power and exterminate Makarios and AKEL. The anti-Makarios, anti-communist delirium of EOKA B culminated in crimes and murders. Besides, the Greek junta’s order to its blind tools in Cyprus was clear: “Shoot to kill”, which is what happened.
The betrayal of 15th July 1974 gave Turkey the pretext it had been longing for to invade Cyprus and eventually occupy almost 40% of our country. Our people has since then been condemned to the division of our island, to the pain of refugess and the uprooting of our people. The years have passed, but the wounds have not healed or closed. Neither will these wounds ever close as long as there are checkpoints, refugees, victims, enclaved people, the remains of unburied missing persons and especially the sacrifice of our fallen heroes not being vindicated. The only deliverance from the woes, the only vindication for all that our people went through is the achievement of a just solution of the Cyprus problem. We should leave behind us once and for all the rhetoric, false and empty words and slogans and work to transform Cyprus into a homeland of peace for Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
At present developments anything but point to this perspective. Mr. Eroglu insists on projecting his well-known and unacceptable positions. Unfortunately President Anastasiades so far has not succeeded in making things difficult for Eroglou. He has not managed to expose his intransigence. On the contrary, he has facilitated it, not because he followed the “bankrupt” as he was fond of characterising the tactics of Demetris Christofias during the election campaign, but precisely because he abandoned them. He has facilitated Eroglou precisely because he adopted the tactics of all those who were arguing that we could achieve something by beginning negotiations from the beginning. We are already counting losses, with the biggest probability developments leading to a deadlock.
Under no circumstances does AKEL support that Confidence Building Measures are useless. However they are not, nor can they constitute, the solution of the Cyprus problem. Therefore, we urge once again the President of the Republic to reflect if the policy he appears to have decided to follow is the most appropriate. He should listen to our concerns with open ears and with an open mind especially. He should continue the negotiations from the point they had left off, reserving the right to come back to some issues, if he so wishes.
Last year on such a day, in this chamber, the President of the Democratic Rally party proclaimed that he extends a hand of cooperation to the leader of the Left, for unity and reconciliation. Unity and reconciliation are not proclaimed, but are forged when there is a sincere desire and willingness for self-criticism, cooperation and a collective way of work; when there are no unilateral actions, authoritarianism and arrogance. AKEL has always stretched out his hand for unity with regards the Cyprus problem in all directions.
