Talk of civil war

“In order to shape the results in the upcoming elections, to get 3-5 more points in votes, they play with not only Kurdish, but all social texture of Turkey. We are very concerned with this blindness, since the outcome of this method can lead to a civil war ... “Why have the military and the police started to attack now” -- Sırrı Sakık, a parliament member running as an independent with the support of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP | “This is a massacre and war crime. We will carry our hatred to the streets” -- Filiz Koçali, co-chairperson of the BDP

War wishes by the loser!

Invited to comment on statements attributed to Eroglu, published in today’s “Volkan” newspaper, that “war will break out”, if the Cyprus government goes ahead with oil and natural gas exploration, the Spokesman said that “if Eroglu has indeed made such statements, then these are truly unacceptable and dangerous” - Famagusta Gazette 15/5/2011

Energy feelings!

"The Leviathan field extends into the waters of Cyprus, and Noble has agreed to complete an exploratory drilling program there by 2013. Any attempts by Cyprus to develop its end of the field, or to reach an agreement with Israel for a pipeline or liquefied natural gas terminal, is likely to anger Turkey. Turkey already has condemned a recent maritime border agreement between Israel because it ignored the unrecognized Turkish Cypriot section of northern Cyprus, NPR reported. ... The implications for both the region and the oil industry are as huge as the Leviathan field itself, and the full economic and political impact probably won't be known for years. "This is the beginning of the story," Wurmser said" - Houston Chronicle Jan 2011

Turkish Turkey

Don't say Cyprus!! Not listening!

One has to be amused by the ethnic Turks' insistence to call Cyprus 'Greek Cyprus'! First, it has a nice ring to it for the overwhelming majority of Cypriots. Second, ethnic Turks do know that 'Greek Cyprus' is the entire island in the eyes of everyone except Turkish Turkey and its 'free' press, don't they? By all means, ethnic Turks may continue, albeit they should be told that American USA, French France, British Britain, Chinese China, Russian Russia, European EU and western NATO recognize just one Cyprus and they call it simply Cyprus. Way to go Turkish Turkey (Kurdistan & 30% of Istanbul excluded)!!

Arab Spring, Turkish Fall - FOREIGN POLICY | BY STEVEN A. COOK | MAY 5, 2011

"There was always a lot less to Ankara's influence in the Arab world than met the eye. Turkish leaders love the anecdotes about Arabs watching Turkish soap operas, the posters of Erdogan in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, and the comparison between the Turkish prime minister and Gamal Abdel Nasser -- but the new Ottomans have found it as difficult to manage the politics of the region as the Sultans before them. At base, the Turks managed a measure of influence during a period of Arab decay.

It was easy to be influential when the Arab world was politically dead and devoid of authentic leadership. Like it or not, Ankara's interests are wrapped up in the old regional order. As a result, at a moment of unprecedented regional change, when people power and democracy is sweeping the Middle East, the Turks look timorous, maladroit, and diminished -- not at all the regional leader to which Ankara has aspired." - Steven A. Cook | May 5, 2011 | Foreign Policy

Myths and truths Part 3/3 - Unconquered Keryneia (7:48 min.)

A new Turkey will need a new flag!

Turkey Minor discusses a brand new constitution. Aristotle defined a revolution as a major constitutional amendment. Turkey's biggest challenge is how to address the long-standing Kurdish issue. Kurds seek nothing less than the transformation of the country into a federation between ethnic Turks and ethnic Kurds. Not dissimilar to what tCypriots ask for in Cyprus. I propose a new flag to accompany the new Turko-Kurdish constitution, with one olive branch for each of the major communities of the country to signify their living in peace in a united land.

Myths and truths Part 2/3 - Unconquered Keryneia (9:58 min.)

At long last a proper register of the Kurdish population of Turkey Minor!

At long last we have as close a count of the Kurds in Turkey as we ever got. A majority of people in Turkey dislike the idea of intervention in the internal affairs of Syria, which is currently being rocked by public protests against the government, by an international body, with 63.3 percent saying that they would not support such interference, according to the latest findings of an opinion poll. It is only logical to assume that the overwhelming majority of Kurds, who have suffered worse at the hands of the Turkish state, voted 'yes' and similarly ethnic Turks sympathize with their ruling elites by voting 'no'. The hypocrisy of a nation, the ethnic Turks, who know no better than to justify to this day an illegal invasion of Cyprus in 1974 because since 1965 twenty-three Turkish speaking Cypriots died (all in a single inter-communal skirmish in 1967!)!

It would be most interesting to ask the people in Turkey what they think of an intervention in the internal affairs of Turkey, given that the Turkish establishments have killed multiple times more Kurds than the people who died at the hands of Syrian, Libyan, Tunisian, Yemeni & Egyptian establishments combined.

Energizer Island!

Would you say that respect of Cypriots' human rights should be part of a solution to Cyprus's Turkish issue? How about respect of UN resolutions on Cyprus' Turkish issue? The answer is clear. But Turkey Minor won't budge, doing what she can best: be stubborn and stupid.

The catalyst had been missing until recently. Energy is coming to the rescue and I personally fail to see what Turkey Minor can do, given that the EU, US and Israel's interests are all in perfect alignment with those of the Cyprus Republic. Cyprus is estimated to have 1,68 million barrels of oil and 122 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.

Myths and truths Part 1/3 - Unconquered Keryneia (9:56 min)

Part 2/3 tomorrow.
Part 3/3 on Friday.

Energy at the service of the national problem

FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE Tue, May 10, 2011 - Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Antonis Paschalides said on Tuesday that the extraction of natural gas will begin late 2011 or early 2012, adding that the Public Gas Corporation (DEFA) has received the mandate and very soon construction work will begin for the natural gas network, using EU funds.

Paschalides noted that, ''if necessary, they will call experts so that specific suggestions, proposals and scenarios can be prepared for all pending issues, and so that the Minister can take decisions.''

Should Turkey adopt her Cyprus logic at home?

“Turkey is too big of a country to be centrally governed by one prime minister,” former pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş said Monday. The democratic autonomy we have been proposing is the solution to all problems,” he said, adding that Ankara “should not run everything.”

Attila Olgac confessing in public the murder of 10 Greek Cypriot POWs

Turkish fascism out of Cyprus! Enough!!

If good enough for Cypriots, why not for Turks and Kurds?

Today's Zaman 9 May 2011 Mumtazer Turkone - "The speech delivered by Aysul Tuğluk at the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) last week, which sparked much reaction, hinted at the PKK-BDP movement's new strategy. The PKK is no longer pushing for a new constitution on the basis of "Kurdish rights" as it had been doing all along. Instead it is pushing for a new constitution with a political objective. Describing this strategy as a "federation" is consistent with previous statements. By mobilizing the Kurdish Communities Union/Turkey Council (KCK) and taking Diyarbakır as the central point, the PKK and the BDP have set sail for a Kurdistan federation. They will start focusing on this target after the election, but they want to get a head start by incorporating it into heated election debates."

Referring to Turkey as Turkey Minor actually makes sense!

Recently I made the decision of referring to Turkey as Minor Turkey. It prompted an angry response from a Turkish blogger who accused me of "[believing in my] own biological superiority and [Turkish] inferiority, that Nazis thought similarly, concluding that, as Hitler also believed, one has to use military power to crush those with an attitude like mine.

Allow me to offer a brief explanation for my decision to refer to Turkey as Minor Turkey, although the order of the words should be reversed to read 'Turkey Minor'.

tCypriot revolution in the making

“Mr. Governor [ambassador] avoids seeing the realities in the north of the island and is trying to cover it up with various remarks and talks about a bulky structure, which is a segregationist structure built by themselves in the first place. Are you not the one who said, ‘Go for tourism or trade’ and not the one who closed Sanayi Industry Holding down, disassembled factories and moved them out? With the austerity package you have imposed on us while forcing the Turcocypriot youth to move out, you also have brought a crowd into the north and made Turcocypriots pay for employment, food, health, and education expenditures of this crowd. Have you not?

tCypriot awakening?

“You will grant properties of Grecocypriots, the most beautiful land of our country and valuable assets of Turcocypriots to your cronies for nothing and transfer population to the north of the island and let Turcocypriots die out as you prevent a durable solution to the Cyprus dispute. You will take us hostage during the European Union membership process and use us as a trump-card to say, ‘I have strategic interests,’ then turn around and ask us to pay the price. Turkey’s real intention is to make the north of Cyprus a province of its own, increase the population to a million and bring another Hatay [Antioch] example into life.” İzzet İzcan, United Cyprus Party, or BKP, General Secretary | Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey: an obvious unpleasant truth deliberately ignored by the west

[MEP and leader of the Socialists in the European Parliament, Martin Schulz] described Christofias as a “friend” and “a man who deserves trust and support”. On the Turkish Cypriot leader, he said: “I think Mr Eroglu has the problem all leaders of the Turkish Cypriot community have. He is on the one hand the leader of a community, on the other hand he has to deal with the government in Ankara and I think the relations between the Turkish government and them are not in the best shape.”

Cypriot Keryneia for 3.150 years, its mother Keryneia for 7.850

Sign on the road Athens -Patras

Keryneia (Greek: Κερύνεια) is a Greek village located west of Corinth and Athens, north-northwest of Kalavryta and east of Aigio and Patras. Nea (New) Keryneia is a new village and its residents arrived from Keryneia which is located 4 km away. The origin of the name dates back to the ancient times and its ancient settlement, whose residents founded Keryneia in occupied northern Cyprus and gave its name. See images of the ruins of ancient Keryneia in Greece, where Cepheus and Praxandros came from, to found Cypriot Keryneia and Lapithos respectively, which by history, law and ethics can never be allowed to be Turkish.

Soft reminder to Minor Turkey

It is no secret Minor Turkey is in the habit of neglecting to honor international treaties, especially as they relate to weaker militarily nations. Every now and then she is softly reminded that there are treaties she cannot afford to ignore. Such is the case with Russia warning Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to respect the Montreux Treaty.