Address of Andros Kyprianou, General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL, to the meeting “Memory and Struggle for liberation and reunification”

 

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 27th September 2015, Nicosia

 

Today’s meeting is devoted to the anniversary of Cyprus Independence. At the same time it is an event in memory and struggle for liberation and reunification. Events of this kind always have a bitter taste. On the one hand we are proud of the achievements our people achieved through fierce bloody struggles. We are in awe when we look back at our history and examine what we have achieved Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots together. On the other hand, everything freezes before the barbed wire of division. The wound from the deep knife of the occupation is still bleeding. The tears for those who fell fighting and the pain from the absence of those who died are still here with us. We feel the same rage and anger at the magnitude of the betrayal and treachery that was committed.

We have said many times: No, we’re not looking for revenge. We are struggling for the vindication of our people. We are striving for the day when Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots will live together in unity in our shared home ∙ in a common homeland without armies, free from one end to the other. As AKEL, we have been struggling for decades to fulfil this vision. We are struggling together with our Turkish Cypriot compatriots, who love peace and want reunification. We are waging an anti-occupation, anti-imperialist and anti-fascist struggle; a struggle to rid ourselves from the occupation and together to liberate our country from the dark shadow of the big interests that want Cyprus shackled in chains; a struggle to isolate forever hate and fascism which have drank so much blood from the hearts of Cypriots, killing little by little their peaceful coexistence.

In order to succeed however to lead our country to reunification and peace we must learn and draw lessons from history. Unfortunately we have not all managed to do so, despite all that has happened. Before the 1960’s, the Left called for a common struggle to get rid of colonialism. However, Grivas believed that he had – in his own words – to “exterminate” AKEL “so that it will no longer be a strong force” and so that it will not assert a role in socio-political affairs with the termination of the anti-colonial struggle. This is why he unleashed a campaign of hate against the Left; a campaign which eventually the whole of the people of Cyprus paid a very heavy price.

This is the first valuable lesson of modern Cypriot history. Every time certain forces and circles targeted the Left, they chose to attack AKEL instead of fighting against our country’s real enemies, sowing disunity and discord, with the people suffering new pain and tragedies.

In 1960 we managed to gain, albeit shackled, Cyprus independence. However not everyone saw it as the starting point of a common course with our Turkish Cypriot compatriots. Some in the Greek Cypriot community saw it merely as a stepping stone to Enosis, that is to say the union of Cyprus with Greece. Some in the Turkish Cypriot community saw it as a step towards the partition of Cyprus. It was only a matter of time before the difficulties would lead to inter-communal clashes during 1963-64 and 1967. It was a matter of time before the criminal actions of the nationalists, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, were implemented. To this very day we are still digging up the remains of the victims of political crimes committed back then.

There is yet another lesson to learn. Some forces and circles chased “maximalist” goals instead of working for what is feasible. This obsession did not permit our people to live peacefully in the place of their birth. This obsession has cost rivers of blood and new adventures that eventually led our people to the painful summer of 1974.

At the same time as fiery patriotic slogans and rhetoric were being propagated about “maximalist” goals, imperialism was rubbing his hands with delight. They ordered their servants to take up battle positions. The junta in Greece and the EOKA B organization in Cyprus were preparing the big blow: the fascist and treacherous coup d’état executed on 15th July 1974. Five days later, Turkey, ever lurking, undertook to implement the second part of the hellish plan against Cyprus. The Turkish invasion completed the double 1974 crime; the crime committed by NATO and the American secret services; the crime committed by the Junta of Greece, EOKA B and the militarists of Ankara. Turkey for years had been waiting for the opportunity to invade our island. The treacherous coup d’état provided this opportunity to Turkey which opened wide the backdoors to Turkey’s invasion.

Imperialism bears enormous responsibilities for the betrayal and tragedy of Cyprus. Together with Turkey, they are the real culprits of the invasion in our country and for the ongoing occupation. The Athens junta played a shameful game against us. All of them however would have failed if the people of Cyprus had resisted united their plans; had they not have found a valuable ally in nationalism-chauvinism and had they not found Cypriot accomplices and collaborators in their evil plans, which operated as a Trojan horse.

More than four decades after the twin crime of 1974, our people are still suffering from its consequences. The tragic thing is that more than four decades afterwards we have still not all managed united to assert for our people what should be self-evident: to struggle together in order to repel these plans of those who betrayed Cyprus. On the contrary, voices are being heard that – either overtly or covertly – are seeking to do just that, that is to say, to open the door to the partition of our Island. Whether speaking of a two-state solution, which is accompanied with relevant theories about “two communities who do not know and understand each other” or suggesting that “forty-one years have gone by and we did not achieve a federal solution because we cannot achieve it, so we should therefore accept the current situation as it is” . However, even those forces and circles who say “let us look for another solution” in reality have no other alternative proposals. Therefore, the discussion inevitably leads to the non-solution of the Cyprus problem as the final solution. This is a recipe that inexorably leads to the partition of our homeland. There are also theories being branded around about a “return to a unitary state” which one could discuss only if one abandons rational and serious thought.

Our Party from the very day after the 1974 catastrophe, raised high the banner of the common struggle of our people for the common fate of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in their common homeland. In our common history, in our common struggles, in our common future, only this truth exists. This is what we are struggling for today, namely to achieve the reunification of our country – without dependencies, without interventions, without guardians and without “mother countries”.

All through these years, culminating in the Christofias five year term to the Presidency of the Republic, this position has been the subject of fierce attacks; attacks that sought to cancel and nullify in our people’s conscience the position that in Cyprus there are two politically equal communities; the position that we are fighting for a homeland that will belong – all off it – to the people of Cyprus and not for half Cyprus but one that is to be purely Greek. The more this vision was being realized with the submission of comprehensive, functional and unifying proposals at the negotiating table, the more the attacks against AKEL grew stronger. We withstood them. We took the heavy burden of the political cost.

Current developments vindicate our positions. From the very beginning we called on President Anastasiades to build on the convergences achieved during the Christofias administration and proceed to talks in order to focus on the core pending issues. When President Anastasiades decided to utilize these convergences, a relative mobility began to be observed on the Cyprus problem, which creates a perspective. We are however still at the beginning. We have a long way ahead. We therefore must be clear. I say this because there are those within the Greek Cypriot community who believe that the Cyprus problem will be solved even tomorrow. However, we are just now beginning the discussion of the difficult issues.

Of course at this stage no one can predict with certainty what will follow. It is a fact that the assumption by Mr. Akinci of the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community has changed the climate and given an impetus to the negotiation procedure. So far, he seems determined to move forward. However, this must be proved to be the case in practice at the negotiating table. It is also a fact that President Anastasiades finally understood that he had to listen to our proposals and utilize the large amount of work done during the administration of D. Christofias. If the President of the Republic proceeds with courage, consistency and adherence to principles then perhaps we will get close to an agreement on the internal aspects of the Cyprus problem. It is at this point that we will see if Turkey will finally show a will for a solution, taking decisions on the core issues of security, the guarantees and the settlers. Otherwise, it will bear the responsibilities for the possible break down of the dialogue.

Currently we have before us a favourable conjuncture. We must all rise to the occasion and not let it go to waste. We must manage at least this time to be united around the long-standing positions of the Greek Cypriot side; to work to achieve a solution that will terminate the occupation and colonization and restore the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of the Republic of Cyprus. For a solution based on the UN resolutions, the High-Level Agreements, International and European Law. For a solution that will demilitarize Cyprus and exclude any guarantor rights or rights of intervention in the internal affairs of our country by foreign forces and powers. For a solution that will reunite the territory, the people, institutions and economy under a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, as set out in the UN texts.

However, as long as the occupation continues to exist, the refugees will exist. This is something the Anastasiades-governing DISY party government forget. The majority of the refugees are now experiencing this on a daily basis when they see the policy on refugees being dismantled; a policy that was significantly enhanced and boosted during the Christofias administration. AKEL does assert neither charity, nor half-measures for the refugees. We demand practical and comprehensive support of their needs.

At today’s event the refugee organizations of the Nicosia-Kyrenia districts have made their own distinctive contribution. We will have the opportunity, in addition to the exhibition of folk art, crafts and the cultural program, to see the exhibition of photographs and a film from the occupied territories. Our effort and struggle is not to keep all the memories of the occupied territories, the photographs and images all locked in the past. Our own struggle is not simply to remember our roots, but to build up the future of our children. Our own goal is to make the memory of our villages and towns a life for the future of our reunited Cyprus.

Let’s learn lessons from our history.

Let’s fight to heal the wounds, to dry the tears of uprooting and for our people – united – to move forward; to tear down the walls of division and live its common future!