My name is Myroulla Nicolaou and I grew up in the eastern city of Kyrenia in Cyprus. I lived on the Greek side of the island with my parents, two sisters and Yiayia (my grandmother). We had a good life, living in a port city, and my father’s restaurant did well. My mother took care of us all and kept us healthy.
On July 20, 1974, disaster struck. The Turkish army swarmed over the dividing line under false pretenses of restoring the constitutional order of the Republic of Cyprus. The air force dropped bombs on our beautiful island; hundreds of paratroops rained down across the northern half – including Kyrenia – while 30 Turkish troop ships landed more than 6,000 men with tanks, trucks and armored vehicles. Three days later, a ceasefire was established, with a grand total of around 30,000 troops occupying the island. The Turks reinforced their Kyrenia position and prepared for a second invasion. On Aug. 14, the Turks seized the remaining 37 percent of the land they now oppress.
Our Greek-Cypriot forces were unable to resist the Turkish advance. They drove 180,000 of us from our lives. Turkish-Cypriots moved into our homes. My family and I were lost in a mass of refugees, with most of the world turning a blind eye to our plight.
We made it off the island onto the mainland of Greece, but we had nothing. We tried to pretend everything was back to normal, yet Yiayia’s plaintive question, “Sotia, when will you take me home?” was a constant reminder of our old life. I promised her daily she would return, and I continued to reassure her until the day she died. She never saw her home.
It was not until 2003 that we were let back onto the island to visit our house. We walked to the door – excited to reunite with our home – only to find a Turkish family still living there. We found them using the same beautiful furniture my mother slaved over choosing and the same picture frames that once held my family’s memories. The Turkish-Cypriots were very cordial, and they offered us a cup of coffee before showing us the door – effectively shutting us out of the life we once had. We were crushed, but we put on brave faces and walked back to our new lives in Greece.
Myroulla and her family aren’t real; they represent just one of many families affected by the Turkish oppression of Cyprus. As of today, there are about 150,000 Turkish settlers believed to be living in the north, in violation of the Geneva Convention.
Many Americans don’t know about the occupation of Cyprus and might wonder why they should care. I’m Greek-American myself, which probably affects my awareness of the issue. Yet it’s my sense of humanity that drives me to spread the news about the tragedy of Cyprus.
As the Turkish occupation is universally denounced as a gross violation of both international law and the United Nations Charter, Turkey should be facing repercussions. Did the United States not enter conflicts over differences in governing when other ideologies infringed upon what Americans considered basic human rights? Half of Cyprus is still illegally occupied – something against moral standards, which people and governments across the world recognize and condemn. Yet this country continues to foster a relationship with Turkey – the occupiers.
Although the federal government attempted to make amends for one of its misdeeds when Congress imposed an arms embargo on Turkey in 1975 for using American-supplied equipment during the invasion, it restored the bond with Turkey during the 1980s. In 2004, officials appropriated $30.5 million to assist economic development in the Turkish-Cypriot community.
Many Greek-American Congress members have established firm positions on the matter: The United States is not doing enough to stop the occupation. It is up to citizens to come together and show the representatives in Congress just how wrong it is to continue supporting Turkey, when the country supposedly believes occupation of another’s land is acceptable. It is up to Americans to help release the oppressed land of Cyprus.
Maria Romas is a sophomore English and journalism major. She can be reached at romas@umdbk.com.
