AKEL on Erdogan’s illegal visit to the occupied areas

Statement by Georgos Loucaides, AKEL C.C. Spokesperson

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 20th July 2015, Nicosia

Today’s illegal visit to the occupied areas and the presence of Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan in the celebrations for the black anniversary of the invasion, itself represents a provocation and undermines the positive climate that developed from and after the assumption by Mr. Akinci of the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community.

On the other hand Mr. Akinci’s differentiation as to the reading of the history on the Turkish invasion in 1974, recognizing that a war was conducted with the Greek Cypriots as the main victims is a positive development, given that it contributes to mutual understanding and helps to the cultivation of a suitable climate which is imperative to aspire to a positive outcome of the negotiations.

Of course we are still far from a common understanding of the historical truth by Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots regarding the tragic events which indelibly marked our homeland.

However, it is necessary to build as much as possible a coherent collective memory, based on the truth and not on propaganda, misrepresentation, distortion and the concealment of events.

It would be a good if the beginning would start within each community itself, since those responsible for the Cyprus tragedy on both sides of the barbed wires of division still provocatively insist on falsifying and distorting the historical truth.