Some thoughts on Greco-Turkish relations and Cyprus

Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and the European Union Accession: Opportunity or Suicide?

As we approach the European Union’s decision point in December regarding a date to start accession talks with Turkey, we see more and more questions as to whether Turkey should be considered ready or indeed worthy for the honor of such an initiation into the club of Europe. While the question regarding Turkeys readiness vis-à-vis the Copenhagen criteria is a valid one, one must also ask whether the EU is ready to accept the idea of bringing a country like Turkey into the Union, or more to the point are ALL the EU member states ready to accept them under the current conditions!

To adequately examine the issue of Turkey’s accession into the EU requires a look at a multidimensional set of questions. Not only is it a matter of looking at Turkish aspirations and European readiness but also its cultural and social parameters (Human rights, Civil liberties and Freedoms - etc), its economic dimensions (Non existent economic growth, Debt and significant Black market economy), its foreign relationships (Greece, Cyprus, Kurds), all topics which should weigh heavily on the decision of accession. Arguing, that concerns about Turkey's suitability for EU membership because it is Islamic and its evident lack of Europeaness are not ill-founded either, but hard line facts and should be viewed as highly relevant, but should not be allowed to be the determining factors alone!

The best way to facilitate that Turkey is capable of being a member of the club of Europe would be for it to show it can continue to maintain a contribution to European (and world) security and step up its western orientation, allowing it thus to join the EU but only if it is willing to abide by all its rules, which in Turkey’s case would also mean the immediate demilitarization of the illegally occupied Northern Cyprus accompanied by the withdrawal of all troops stationed there and including the reversal of that government’s continued refusal to open its ports and airports to vessels and aircraft from Greek Cypriot-controlled Cyprus (an EU member since 2004), the cease of the threat of war to Greece’s rights to expand its territorial influence to 12n.m. and a complete withdrawal from it’s unfounded claims to the Aegean.

I find it abysmal that Greece, Cyprus and their major European partners have not insisted as is their right to a solution to these issues being paramount and thus precluding any EU accession talks. It’s astonishing that an opportunity (bargaining chip) such as this was presented and neither Greece, nor Cyprus chose to utilize it to reach an, if not favorable, then a just solution. The lack of willingness of its political establishments and the unjust fear of a Turkish “harder-line” on the issues is even more bogus, for you would need to consider just how much harder can the Turkish line get, the logical next step would be carrying out their threat of war, which would not be in their interests to say the least especially since it is so heavily reliant on European funding in order to stay afloat.

With the mr G. Papandreou new Greek government now firmly in place we are seeing no change to the current status in relation to Turkey’s bid, in fact, it looks like their will be an even softer stance on their reluctance to abide by the rules set and a renewed helping hand on Greece’s part to make sure they reach their goal of accession. All the while we see an increase in threats, violations of Greek sea & airspace and a general reluctance to deal with Cyprus, while consistently weighing in heavily and playing the anti-Greek card in all matters concerning Greek foreign issues (ie. Illegal immigration, Macedonian Issue) as well as creating new issues primarily within the Greek Muslim community of Thrace.

Well maybe it’s time we say enough is enough and finally look out for our best interests!
With accession talks being of such high importance for Turkey’s future, a re-evaluation of our strategic interests would be very advantageous for both Greece and Cyprus, and logical demands for solutions to issues that have plagued relations between the current NATO allies would lay the framework for a better future co-operation between them, as there will effectively be no issues dividing them……I must once again stress that such a strong card can not be left un-utilized, as it is one of few opportunities to reach a proper and just solution

Will Turkey ever pay for its Cyprus war crimes?

With the recent revelations of Turkish atrocities in Cyprus making an impression in the Greek and Cypriot media, but with no such coverage, of course, occurring in the international media, which one can say shows that it has been seduced, in one way or another and for a variety of reasons, by Turkey's pretensions to be a regional power, and where any reference to Turkish barbarism would have the Turks screaming Islamophobia and racism and the Western media cowering. (Indeed, to avoid upsetting Turkey and the so-called Islamic world, to avoid being branded racist or Islamophobic, the Western media has succumbed to the worst kind of censorship, i.e. self-censorship).

Due to this very lack of coverage we see an evident ignorance most foreigners have regarding the Cyprus issue, making the very real assumption that the biggest failure the Greek-Cypriots have is that they have failed to impress on the international community the facts of the Cyprus problem. Perhaps this is because the Cypriots are guilty of narcissism and of expecting others to share and understand their problems and obsessions, or perhaps its got to do with Greek ignorance which has created a sense of indifference to Cyprus and is a reflection of the kind of society Greece has become, one of which ‘national issues’ are regarded as anachronistic, a burden and an impediment to modernization and Europeanization. Whatever the reasoning, it doesn’t explain the fact that we have dropped the ball on the whole matter and especially our right to have Turkey pay for the crimes it committed and continues to commit to this day with its illegal occupation of the northern part of the island of Cyprus.

The frequently asked question is: why, given the irrefutable and well-documented barbarism that defines the Turkish invasion of Cyprus – the murders, executions, rapes, looting, ethnic cleansing and so on – have the governments in Cyprus and Greece neglected all these years to denounce Turkey internationally for war crimes and failed to insist that Turkey and those politicians, soldiers and paramilitaries responsible for the atrocities are brought to justice, preferring instead to repeat platitudes about Turkey needing to open its archives or Turkey needing to comply with European Court of Human Rights rulings urging Turkey to account for the 1,619 Greeks missing since the Turkish invasion?

The answer is simple: our leaders in Cyprus and Greece have never regarded making Turkey accountable for its war crimes as an intrinsic part of a Cyprus settlement, but, in fact, as an obstacle to that settlement, petrified, as they are, that any Greek campaign to bring Turkey to justice will antagonize Turkey – Turkish hysteria regarding the Armenian genocide is well known – and make that country even more unreasonable and unwilling to find a 'solution' that ends its occupation of the island.

It's also worth pointing out that however, much as we denounce Turkish barbarism, we should never forget those countries – America and Britain – that were complicit in the Turkish invasion, which schemed with and encouraged Turkey to descend on Cyprus, which supplied Turkey with the weaponry and the moral and political support it needed, and then washed their hands when the horror unfolded.

Where can Cyprus go for justice?

There is an ever increasing amount of voices calling for Turkey to be tried for war crimes in Cyprus, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is often cited as an example, but I am wondering just how viable a solution it can be, and if it can bring some form of justice (hence peace) to the issue plagued island of Cyprus and more so to its long suffering inhabitants.

So it's worth making a couple of points regarding the ICTY to see why this is not the path to justice that Cyprus can expect.and a quick look will explain why.

The ICTY, established in 1993 following a United Nations Security Council resolution, is an ad hoc court with the remit to try individuals – not organizations or governments – accused of war crimes during the conflicts that characterized the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. To establish a similar court for Cyprus would, therefore, not only require UN Security Council approval – impossible to imagine given the permanent presence of Turkey's allies, Britain and America, on the UNSC – but would also require significant resources and time to conduct plausible trials with the appropriate quality of evidence given that the crimes were committed 35 years ago.

More importantly, the ad hoc type of court that is the ICTY has effectively been superseded by the International Criminal Court, which is a permanent tribunal established to try cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. The ICC was established in July 2002 and cannot investigate crimes before this date. Moreover, Turkey has so far refused to sign the ICC's founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and, therefore, the ICC has no jurisdiction over Turkish citizens.

This leaves Cyprus with two options, both unsatisfactory. One is recourse to the Council of Europe, which can issue reports and urge its members – including Turkey – to abide by its recommendations and, in extreme cases, expel countries from its ranks – as happened to Greece during the period of the junta. And, secondly, there is the European Court of Human Rights, which monitors the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and has already, in rulings in 2001 and 2008, found Turkey guilty of violating the human rights of missing Greek Cypriots and their families, and ordered Turkey to pay compensation and provide information on the whereabouts and fate of the missing. So far, eight years on from the original ECHR ruling, Turkey has done neither.