LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Spring 2008

by Constantinos Eliades

Halil Guven, writing as a university rector in the Turkish occupied northern area of Cyprus, wrote about the violation of human rights of Turkish Cypriots by what he calls “Southern Cyprus”. I would argue that the human rights of all Cypriots – Turkish and Greek – have been violated for 33 years now by the Turkish military occupation of the northern third of our island. There is no “Southern Cyprus” or “Northern Cyprus”, only the Republic of Cyprus. Our state is recognised internationally, with Turkey the sole exception. It is only the enforced division of the island by Turkish forces, and Ankara’s separatist policies, that keep the Turkish community isolated from their fellow Cypriots.

The academic institutions in the north cannot be viewed as legitimate universities for two main reasons: most of them have been built – more or less entirely - on property belonging to Greek Cypriot refugees, and these institutions have never received the owner’s consent for this construction. Also, their curricula have not been submitted for approval and certification by the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus. I would note that the European Union’s Bologna Process for creating a European Higher Education Area by 2010, is only open to sovereign and independent states, so the Turkish Cypriot secessionist entity is not qualified.

The government of Cyprus has of late proposed that an independent authority of Greek and Turkish Cypriot experts could take charge of the evaluation and approval of Turkish Cypriot universities. It was suggested that these experts meet within the framework of the bi-communal technical committees foreseen by the United Nations’ Gambari process. Were the current impasse over the Gambari process to continue, a practical alternative system could be decided by an ad hoc group of experts from both communities. This temporary arrangement would be designed to meet everyone’s needs, pending a permanent resolution of the Cyprus question. The Turkish Cypriots, however, declined to join such a bipartisan group.

I would like to stress that Turkish Cypriots are equal citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, and have the same rights and obligations. However, Nicosia finds it unacceptable that Ankara and the Turkish Cypriot leadership continue to try to establish the occupied zone as a separate legal entity and legitimise the de facto division of the island.