Contribution by Vera Polycarpou at the Hearing “Reuniting Ireland: Lessons from Europe”

 

Partition and reunification: challenges and experiences 

“Efforts towards reunification in Cyprus”

12th November 2013, European Parliament, Brussels

 

 

Dear President, Gabi Zimmer,

 

Dear Friends from Ireland,

 

Dear guests,

 

I would first of all like to thank Sinn Fein for the invitation extended to AKEL (the Progressive Party of the Working People of Cyprus) to participate in this significant hearing on “Reuniting Ireland: Lessons from Europe” and try to contribute to your long heroic struggle for the reuniting of Ireland by presenting some of our experiences.

 

It would not be an exaggeration if one said that the members and followers of AKEL, the broad popular movement in Cyprus, our youth, have been brought up with the goal of reunification, with the phrase “one country-one people”.  And these are not empty words; they are based on the long history of common struggles and common suffering.  At the time when Cyprus passed from the hands of the Ottoman Empire to the British Empire in 1878 to later become a British colony, two communities lived in Cyprus: the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot. Despite the different national origin, language and religion, these two communities had lived in the same country over three centuries developing alongside their distinct traditions also common culture and traditions. The poor farmers and workers had suffered the same exploitation.

 

In the late 1940s, the left trade union movement led unprecedented struggles in Cyprus, with the miners strike being the most important and historic one.  Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot miners and their families fought together united through the long months of the strike and it is greatly thanks to them that the younger generations enjoyed the 8 hours long day, the right to social security, medical treatment, trade union and labour rights. -Rights, I have to say that we are gradually losing due to the onslaught of the infamous troika and its neoliberal right-wing representatives in Cyprus.

 

In the understanding of AKEL Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots were the children of the same land and hence were one people.  AKEL and its predecessor, the CP of Cyprus, were formed as parties of all Cypriots, irrespective of national origin, language or religion.  To this day we maintain this stand.

 

In 1960 Cyprus gained its independence but inherited the anachronistic and divisive Constitution, based on the Zurich and London agreements, and three guarantor powers.  The British used their principle of “divide and rule” in order to retain permanent use of the geostrategic location of Cyprus at the crossroads of Europe Asia and Africa.  To this day Britain has two so-called “sovereign bases” in Cyprus and you might have heard that these are not just military bases but also serve the big eavesdropping system spying all over the Middle East.

 

The divisive basis on which the young Republic of Cyprus was established, the permanent foreign imperialist interventions, but also our mistakes as Cypriots, led to the tragic events of July 1974.  The fascist coup d’état organized and led by the Greek Junta and the extreme right-wing in Cyprus, and the Turkish invasion and occupation of 37% of the island were part of the same NATO-conceived and executed plan.  To this day 40,000 Turkish troops occupy the northern part of Cyprus – the most militarized by proportion part of the world- consolidating the fait accomplis and division on the ground through the military presence, the presence and continuous influx of settlers which constitutes a war crime, and in essence pursuing a policy of annexation.

 

It is against this partition and artificial division of our country and people that we have been struggling. For AKEL reunification goes along two parallel but interdependent lines of struggle: the talks between the leaders of the two communities and rapprochement between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Progress in one helps advance the other, and vice-versa.

 

AKEL’s policy of rapprochement is based on our history of common struggles and on the need to overcome the suffering and divisions in order to prepare the people for the reunification.  In that direction AKEL holds bilateral meetings and political gatherings with Turkish Cypriot political parties, mainly the Republican Turkish Party and the United Cyprus Party, aiming to build consensus and understandings for the solution of the Cyprus problem.  A lot of work and activities have been organised by the trade unions, youth, women and cultural organizations. Just to cite two examples: the first of May manifestations are jointly held on both sides of Nicosia, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  Our youth, among other activities, organises yearly a week of various common actions called “under the same sky” dedicated to Dervis Ali Kavazoglu and Costas Misiaoulis, the symbols of friendship between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.

 

In this sense, it would be worthwhile to note some positive contributions from the part of the EU.  The EU has helped finance some common projects were representatives from the two communities have or are working together. Besides projects for the youth, I would mention the financial support given to the Nicosia master plan which prepares the old town of Nicosia for reunification, to the renovation of the sewage system, to the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage aimed to salvage monuments of our common heritage.  I would like, however, to make a special reference to the financial support granted to the Committee on the Missing Persons.  The recent history of Cyprus left it with the open wound of 2000 missing persons, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.  Without healing this wound the country cannot move ahead. Since 2005 teams of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot experts have been digging, exhuming, and identifying remains of missing persons.  This painstaking work has brought together families of the missing from both communities and is helping to sooth the pain and gradually replace it with understanding and trust.

 

For reunification, as you very well know, the economy of the country has to be integrated.  In the case of Cyprus the long division has taken its toll.  From 1974 until 2003 there was no movement and no exchanges between the free and occupied part of the island.  When movement restrictions were partially lifted by the occupation regime in 2003, people started to cross to “the other side”, some thousands of Turkish Cypriots started to work in the free areas.  The EU Green Line regulation in place since 2006 has facilitated some but limited commercial exchanges.  Gradually various crossing points were opened facilitating contacts between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.  However, these crossing points can in no case be perceived as check points on a border and replace the need for a comprehensive solution with free movement. As we talk the economy of the Republic of Cyprus is suffering the disastrous results of the Eurogroup bail in decision and the imposition of the austerity measures through the memorandum of the infamous Troika. At the same time Turkey has imposed on the occupied areas similar measures and a sell off to the big Turkish capital leading the Turkish Cypriot community to economic distress. We still do not know what impact that would have on the search for solution. May be the aim is to force Cypriots to capitulate, but we shall not surrender.

 

Having said the above, I do not claim that all is done, or that there are no problems between the two communities.  Much more remains to be done, but for this a solution is imperative and progress in negotiations can boost the effectiveness of rapprochement.

 

AKEL has been the party working full heartedly for a just solution to the Cyprus problem.  It is our conviction that to reach a solution that would not lead our country and people back to the tragic experiences of the recent past, talks between the two communities should have a specific framework as set by the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.  The framework should be defining that the solution will be one of a bizonal bicommunal federation with political equality as defined in the UN Secretary-General’s reports, and be based on a single united state, with a single sovereignty, single international personality and single citizenship. Cyprus should be freed of occupation and foreign military presence, become indeed independent without the burden of guarantor powers. International Law should prevail.

 

In conclusion, I would like to underline that we are studying the examples and experience of other countries but realities in each country are different.  While we are learning from each other, we have to remain clear that the different conditions do not allow copying of processes used in one case to other cases.

 

Wishing every success to the debate, I express the hope and wish that we should meet again to celebrate the reuniting of Ireland and the reunification of Cyprus.  Thank you once again for the invitation extended to AKEL.