Can an authoritarian Turkey help Cyprus?
I remember my eyes welling up with tears,
as I watched Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan walk among the crowd
at the Ledra Palace crossing point in early May 2003[*],
and greet the Greek Cypriots, who had just crossed over to visit the north for
the first time in almost 30 years.
The charismatic leader, who had shattered
decades-old taboos about Cyprus, was chatting with the Greek Cypriots and
telling them that he desires to see peace in Cyprus as soon as possible.
The Justice and Development Party (AKP),
which won a landslide victory in the 2002 elections, was the first party ever
in Turkey to declare that the status-quo in Cyprus is unacceptable and vowed to
work for a federal solution. The Turkish establishment had for decades insisted
that “non-solution in Cyprus is the solution itself.”
In 2004, AKP strongly threw its support
behind the Annan Plan. Whether we like it or not, whether we think it was
sincere or not, AKP played a big role in getting the people in the northern
part of Cyprus vote in favour of the Annan Plan. In the years that followed, the
party officials continuously stated that the Turkish side would be one step
ahead as regards the solution of the Cyprus problem.
More recently, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoğlu’s role in the finalisation and acceptance of the joint statement is common
knowledge. He personally came to the island to ‘convince’ Turkish Cypriot
leader Derviş Eroğlu to accept the joint statement, which lay out the framework
of a solution in Cyprus.
On Wednesday April 2, Davutoğlu, on the sidelines
of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels reiterated support for a
solution. “We want the negotiations to speed up,” said Davutoğlu. “The momentum
is very positive. However it is important that this process is
results-oriented.”
I am in no way trying to praise the AKP or defend
it. I am just laying down the facts. In fact, I am watching in pure amazement as
Erdoğan, who initially gained great internal and international support by wowing
equality, making human rights reforms, significantly reducing the Turkish
military’s role in politics, and initiating a negotiations process with the
Kurds, besides supporting a solution in Cyprus, has gradually turned into an
authoritarian figure with no respect for rights and freedoms. He silenced the
media, favoured police violence on various occasions, banned Twitter and You Tube,
passed a law that gives the government more control over the courts, and is
involved in corruption allegations.
So, the question is, how can an
increasingly authoritarian and intolerant regime, which is much more than a
neighbour to Cyprus, contribute to a federal solution in Cyprus? Or can it?
Many pro-solution Turkish Cypriot officials
as well as foreign officials and diplomats are assured that Turkey, under the
rule of Erdoğan, will continue to sincerely support and seek a solution in
Cyprus.
The question remains to be answered…
[*] The Turkish
Cypriot regime lifted a nearly 30-year ban on crossings in April 2003 and eased
travel restrictions across the dividing line.
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