Cyprus Negotiating a Settlement: Power Sharing

bg_turk · lecturer

I've been visiting turkish communities in the Balkans, and I have been to Xanti and Thesaloniki. A pretty sad picture of the turks there.

You are right about turks and greeks abroad though, but I think it works only because they are both foreigners, I don't think it would work in the same way in a state where one group dominates the other.

magikthrill · lecturer

bg_turk · lecturer

Greece is in the EU, Turkey is not. How can you even compare the two?

Turkey has bad minority record that is indisputable. In fact my relatives there are called bulgarian and giaur and there is still discrimination because they come from Bulgaria and are regarded as foreigners, "yabanci", even though they define themselves as turks and are non-practicing muslims.

But anyway Greece is not that much better Turkey in terms of respect for minorities. I just wonder how they tolerate this kind of attitude in the EU.

bg_turk · lecturer

If you are so sure it would work, would you accept to live in a turk dominated state?

magikthrill · lecturer

Dhavlos · advanced member

ANYWAY.....BACK TO THE POWER SHARING ISSUE....

I think, that most if not all GCs are, in their hearts, against bizonality/federation etc., rather, i feel that some sort of powersharing/political equality would be a more acceptable solution, with some sort of devolved powers to local auhoritees.

If political equality existed, in that both sides had to agree to law, then both sides would be drawn into the government, and neither side would be ignored. Political parties would ahve to become pan-cypriot, not just for each community, especially if they want to form a government that will work. To ensure TCs feel like they are 'safe', then maybe there should be districts/devolved areas, smaller than the administrative divsions now, which have a majority of an ethnic group in...if you see what i mean. These administrative divisions could have powers ranging from police/infrastructure/tourism/local development etc...

do you see where im heading with this?

Agios Amvrosios · instructor

Power sharing through a eth with a minority which forms less than 18% of the total population is something which is simply unrealistic and unworkable.

Minorities should be protected by the law and have a level of imput which is representative to their demographic proportions but to give the turkish minority the power to obstruct everything and anything is designed chaos.

Why don't we adopt say...a plan based on the main principles in the Turkish constitution?

BirKibrisli · lecturer

Dhavlos and Agios,my friends,
This is from an Australian of TC background.I am new to this forum as you can see.But I can already see the trap everyone is falling into.Considering oneself Greek or Turkish first,and hence talking about majorities/minorities/safety options etc. In my opinion the solution to the C Rolling Eyes

yprus problem will begin with efforts to see ourselves as Cypriots first,who happen to have a specific ethnic background. I know it goes against the grain,but if we stress our similarities (and believe me we are one and the same people,as I found out in Australia) instead of differences,and keep stressing it,and taking every opportunity to push nationalism and religion in the background,we will soon start to feel like Cypriots above all. Then we can start talking about a solution.Shall we begin here,in this forum,to see ourselves as plain Cypriots first and foremost???My best wishes to everyone reading this.Bly me,I tried to insert an emoticon at the end but if went where you see it,so I decided perhaps it was divine intervention...

Piratis · Moderator

Birkibrisli, if what you said was said in here by a Greek Cypriot the Turkish Cypriots would have accused him of being an extremist with a hidden agenta of dominating TCs.

The Cyprus problem as we know it today started when GCs considered the island just Greek, and when TCs supported that the island should be partitioned. Today the majority of GCs does not support union with Greece anymore, but unfortunately the majority of TCs insists on partition (standard or disquised).
I agree with you that all Cypriots should be considered as just Cypriots and beyond that they can speak whatever language they want, believe in whatever religion they want etc, and their differences should not only be accepted but also promoted by the state.
However this will not happen because racist separtion serves the interests of not only the TCs, but also the powers that prefer Cypriots to be divided in order to control Cyprus easier.