AKEL visits cemetery of the village of Santalaris and Aloa to place flowers at the graves of the Turkish Cypriots murdered by EOKA B
Statement of Andros Kyprianou, Secretary General of the C.C. of AKEL
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 9th September 2015, Nicosia
Our presence here today conveys above all a message of peace and reconciliation between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. It is a message of the acceptance and recognition of the historical reality, even though there are aspects of this reality that hurt or disturb Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to this day.
Here at this cemetery are buried Turkish Cypriot civilians who were killed in a supposedly act of revenge by Greek Cypriot extreme right wing and paramilitary forces on the 14th August 1974.
We do not accept the concept of “collective responsibility”. Not all the Greek Cypriots committed crimes against these ordinary citizens. Those who committed these crimes are actual persons of specific political beliefs. They are Greek Cypriot nationalists and fascists who have dirtied their hands with the blood of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, as there were Turkish Cypriots too who did precisely exactly the same.
As communities and as a people we must finally leave behind this notion of “collective responsibility”. The notion that those people who were born and happened to speak Greek or Turkish, born before and long after these terrible acts, whether they are guilty of committing crimes or completely innocent, bear responsibility because they belong to one community is unhistorical and blinded by fanaticism.
As AKEL, we dare look the truth straight in the eye and tell the truth as it is. Whenever Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots allowed hatred and nationalism to divide them, whenever they became servants of foreign centres and not servants of our country and people, this country was overwhelmed by tears, blood and destruction.
Drawing therefore lessons from our history, we focus on the vision for the reunification of our homeland and people; for a comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem; for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality as set out in the UN resolutions; for a real reunification of the institutions, the territory, the people and the economy and for the defence of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
In closing, I want once again to address an appeal for substantive progress on the issue of the missing persons, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Now is the time for those who have information about missing persons to come forward and present it. The process of verifying the fate of the missing persons must proceed vigorously. We owe it to the missing persons and their families.
Today, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots who love peace, dare. Let our country’s history stop being that of thousands of tragic stories of unjustly killed. Let’s begin writing together the history of peace, cooperation, prosperity, creativity and progress.
Long live Cyprus!
Long live the common struggle of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots for reunification!
