NICOSIA – The 50th anniversary of the coup and the Turkish invasion was chosen by Ankara to present a propaganda book from the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey which attempts to present the historical background of the Cypriot issue from the nationalist perspective of the Turkish side.

The book ‘Who’s to Blame? The Present Cannot Be Separated from the Past,’ issued by the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, attempts to present a highly controversial, one-sided historical overview of the Cyprus issue and is part of Turkey’s wider effort to promote a two-state solution in Cyprus.

The book presents exclusively the official Turkish perspective on the Cypriot issue, without any reference to the opinions and experiences of the Greek Cypriot community. The use of terms and titles such as “the operation of the Turkish Armed Forces was not an occupation, but an action against the occupation,” suggest a highly politicized approach that leaves no room for doubt as to why Ankara presents this particular bilingual Turkish and English book at the current historical moment.

At the same time, simplifications of the type “the Republic of Cyprus is the only independent state in the world whose majority community has done everything to destroy itself” and the focus mainly on the period 1964-1974, present an ideologically structured perspective on the historical background of the Cypriot issue.

Erdogan’s presentation

The new book, which is available on the Directorate of Communications of the Turkish Presidency’s website, is presented by the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish president characterizes the Cyprus issue as “a complex phenomenon in the field of international relations, (for the resolution of which) negotiations took place for a long time, without the problem being finally resolved.”

Erdogan’s introduction focuses on the ethnic and political tensions that affected Cyprus, particularly from the 1960s onwards. Erdogan argues that “the injustices and attacks suffered by the Turkish Cypriot community, especially after 1963, are a pivotal point for understanding the current situation.” According to the perspective presented, these attacks were part of a wider context of trying to eliminate the Turkish presence on the island and promote the Union with Greece.

The Turkish president maintains that the Turkish invasion in 1974 “was necessary to protect the Turkish Cypriot community from ‘ethnic cleansing’ and annexation to Greece.” According to the Turkish perspective, “focusing exclusively on the events of 1974 ignores the previous persecution of Turkish Cypriots and makes it difficult to find a just solution.”

Erdogan reiterates Turkey’s firm position for a two-state solution in Cyprus, based on the equality and sovereignty of both communities.

The book is also prefaced by the Director of Communications of the Turkish presidency, Fahrettin Altun, with a more extensive, one-sided analysis of the Cypriot issue, focusing on the period after independence in 1960. Altun argues that the Greek Cypriots, “guided by the ideology of the Union, sought to monopolize power on the island, excluding the Turkish Cypriots from governing”.

According to Altun, “the Greek Cypriot side carried out acts of terrorism and massacres against the Turkish Cypriots, culminating in the ‘Bloody Christmas massacre’ in 1963.” Altun also mentions that “the 1974 coup, led by Nikos Sampson, aimed at the annexation of Cyprus to Greece.”

The Turkish invasion, according to Altun, “was necessary to protect the Turkish Cypriots, prevent the Union and restore democracy.”

In the first part of the book (mainly pages 24-40), the authors argue that the Greek Cypriot side seeks to present “the Turkish intervention of 1974 as the beginning of the Cypriot issue,” ignoring the previous hardships and persecutions suffered by the Turkish Cypriots. According to the authors, this effort is aimed at assigning responsibility to Turkey and undermining the rights of Turkish Cypriots.

The authors argue that “the Turkish invasion was not an ‘occupation’, but a ‘reaction to the occupation’ of the Greek Cypriot side.”

Unsubstantiated missing person claims

In the book, the version of events presented by the Greek Cypriots regarding the missing persons is also provocatively challenged. The authors argue that “a large number of Greek Cypriot missing persons died during the coup, not during the Turkish intervention (editor’s note: Invasion)” (page 46).

The book’s approach to the issue of missing persons downplays the importance of the issue for Greek Cypriots. The reference to the supposed “Greek Cypriot amnesia” and connecting the missing mainly to the coup, as expected, overlooks the complexity of the issue and above all the human suffering that continues in Cypriot society.