I’m writing in response to Maria Romas’ Wednesday column entitled “Help the huddled masses yearning to break free,” as I feel it’s important to show both sides of a coin before choosing heads or tails. Though the weakly constructed story of “Myroulla Nicolaou” needs no rebuttal, as it is clearly stated to be fiction, it is important to clarify exactly what happened in Cyprus and exactly what it’s like today. As Romas mentioned, in 1974 the Turkish Republic sent a large number of troops to the island, and also managed to seize large swaths of territory. However, Romas failed to mention why the Turkish Army was compelled to take action at that moment in history – after all why didn’t Turkey just seize the island earlier?
A brief lesson in history, a journalist’s duty, would show that in 1967 mainland Greece experienced a military coup, which the whole of Europe condemned. A military junta called for the reunification of mainland Greece and Cyprus. The coup set a fascist climate on high and led to the 1974 coup in Cyprus, which saw a legitimate government overthrown by a Greek ultranationalist, also widely known to be fanatically anti-Turkish, named Nikos Sampson. Following this coup, Turkey demanded the immediate withdrawal of 650 Greek officers of the Cyprus National Guard and Sampson’s removal from power. These demands were rejected and Cyprus’ Turkish population faced the threat of genocide. Such developments left the Democratic Republic of Turkey with no choice but to protect its interests overseas. Turkish Cypriots and Turks from the mainland are two branches from one tree, much as Greek Cypriots are to the Greece. In addition, chaos in Cyprus would undoubtedly have led to chaos in Turkey. Few will argue that it is not every government’s duty to protect its nation and people from chaos and aggression.
Prior to 1974, the Turks and Greeks had experienced many similar conflicts. The most recent event leading to 1974 was the Greek occupation of Anatolia following World War I. During this period, many Muslims and Turks were expelled from their historic villages across Greece and Turkey and many massacres were committed, albeit on both sides. A look at Athens today will show not a single mosque. This would lead one to think they never existed, yet not long ago the city was filled with minarets. I recall these facts to allow those unaware with the situation to understand exactly how Turkish Cypriots must have felt when told an ultranationalist Greek government was established.
Sadly, Romas also failed to bring to attention the suffering of Turkish Cypriots that continue today. While the Greek south has been welcomed to international bodies like UEFA and the EU, the Turkish north struggles under a horrible economy and international condemnation. While the south lives well, the north bleeds daily. I commend Romas’ passion with the issue and also welcome dialogue on this sensitive matter, but am rather confused as to why Romas would create a fictional narrative to talk about this issue. In this era of global cooperation, it’s vital to extend the olive branch and find common ground rather than stick to lines of propaganda. I would have hoped Romas offered opinions toward a positive solution, but was disappointed to read another page of the same old book.
Ergin Ayalp is a freshman letters and sciences major. She can be reached at erginayalp@gmail.com.
