THE VISIT to the north by Turkey’s newly-appointed foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu provoked the obligatory knee-jerk reaction from our politicians, broadcasters and columnists. Everyone, from President Christofias down, condemned the illegal visit which according to the acting government spokesman was “within the framework of Turkey’s policy of support for the secessionist entity and the efforts to upgrade it.”
Such actions “undermined efforts to find an overall settlement which Turkey should be supporting,” the acting spokesman concluded. He was obviously acting on instructions from the President who said, that visits (to the occupied area) by any member of the Turkish leadership are not consistent with international law.” We hear exactly the same hackneyed rhetoric – as if it is a national duty – every time a member of the Turkish government visits the north.
Nobody outside Cyprus takes these totally, meaningless outbursts, which are part of the Cyprus problem theatre, seriously. It is doubtful that the Greek Cypriots, at whom the politicians’ rhetoric is aimed, pay any attention either. We would have expected a more measured and rational approach from the government, which needs to stop pandering to the hardliners, especially now that peace talks are gathering momentum.
Rather than make a big fuss about the illegality of the visit, the government should have welcomed Davutoglu’s comments, the most moderate and reasonable ever made by a Turkish foreign minister. He made no mention about ‘founding states’ and ‘two peoples’ that always provoke a strong reaction by the Cyprus government, focusing instead on the need to work for a settlement that would ensure the security of the two sides, political equality and bi-zonality. Not even Christofias could disagree with the objectives set out by Davutoglu, who also said he would try to broaden relations with Greece.
There was another positive aspect to the visit, at least for those who support the ongoing peace talks. Apart from his verbal support for the talks, on a practical level Davutoglu is also believed to have ensured that the new, hard-line, ruling party UBP would not take actions that would harm the procedure. After a meeting with Davutoglu the ‘foreign minister’ said the UBP ‘government’ fully backed Mehmet Ali Talat’s efforts.
The sad truth is that there was nothing Turkey’s new foreign minister could have said and done to elicit a slightly balanced response from our side because as a member of the Turkish government, his words count for nothing. AKEL chief Andros Kyprianou’s comment perfectly encapsulated the attitude of mistrust. He said that Davutoglu was probably “saying the same things that others say but in a much more refined way.”
We just cannot cope with a Turkish politician who does not say what we expect to hear. And when he takes a different, more moderate approach, we automatically assume, like Kyprianou, that he is being insincere. This is why everyone focused on the illegality of the visit and ignored the positions expressed by the new foreign minister.
