With a friend like Papadopoulos the Greek-Cypriots do not need enemies.

Sir,

I was so amazed to read Tassos Papadopoulos’ interview to the Dubai-based Khaleej Times. So no one was killed from the Turkish-Cypriot side between 1963 and 1974?
Wasn’t it Papadopoulos himself who was second in command of the Akritas organisation, whose avowed aim was to rid the island of Turkish Cypriots – a goal that ignited much intercommunal fighting and eventually led to the Turkish intervention in 1974.

During the 1963-1974 period, hundreds of Turkish Cypriots were murdered by armed Greek Cypriot paramilitaries and a quarter of the Turkish Cypriot population (some 30,000 people) rendered homeless. Hundreds more were abducted or subjected to enforced disappearance, never to be seen or heard of again. Those lucky enough to survive Greek Cypriot atrocities, withdrew into small enclaves, the total area of which corresponded to a mere three per cent of the territory of Cyprus, and led a life of refugees, surviving only thanks to Red Crescent aid.

There is a need to recognise Greek Cypriot crimes against Turkish Cypriots in the period 1963-1974. The issue of the missing Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots is also related to the key issue of recognising past crimes on both sides.

I can sadly say that with a friend like Papadopoulos the Greek-Cypriots do not need enemies.

Murat Ozkok
London

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.