We must all stop referring to the problem as the Cyprus problem. Calling it so perhaps is normal for foreigners with a stake in Cyprus. Not so for Cypriots.
The problem is in fact the Turkish (Turkeyish?) problem of Cyprus. Cyprus, an EU and UN member, has a Turkish problem. Or if you prefer both a Turkish and a T-Cypriot problem.
The United Nations through a large number of resolutions recognizes Cyprus' Turkish or T/TC problem to be two-fold:
- an intercommunal conflict, much like the Kurdo-Turkish one in Turkey brewing for the last several decades in Turkey (referred to by the way as Turkey's Kurrdish problem);
- an illegal invasion/occupation/colonization/ethnic cleansing by Turkey against Cyprus;
Why don't Turks for example call their problem 'our Turkish problem' and call it the Kurdish problem instead? Or why don't the Egyptians call theirs 'our Egyptian problem' and opt to refer it as 'the Pharaoh's problem' [referring to Mubarak]?
Great Britain and Turkey ofcourse have a Cyprus problem, standing in the way of their geopolitical interests!
Choosing to call our problem as the TURKISH PROBLEM immediately reveals to the world the source of the problem and points to the culprit. Choosing not to change the label of the problem means we accept that we, Cypriots, are the problem! Nothing furthest from the truth!
This is not quibbling over semantics.
I strongly believe that the difference between referring to the problem as the 'Turkish' as opposed to the 'Cyprus' problem is vital. A paradigm shift on Cypriots' part is required to fully embrace the change and make it known to the world!
