I’m not going to beat about the bush on this subject. The erection of barbed wire along the Green Line by the Greek Cypriot administration is de facto recognition, on their part, of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
To qualify that bombshell, let me explain. If you claim a piece of land as yours, that claim cannot be conditional. You either claim and take legal responsibility for every square inch, or you do not claim it at all. The Greek Cypriot administration, in erecting hundreds of miles of razor wire along the Green Line, has effectively renounced its claim to anything that lies north of it.
The reason given for the razor wire was to stop refugees from third countries crossing from the north and into the south. Leaving aside for one moment the treatment of refugees by the Greek Cypriot administration, that abdication of responsibility for the refugees who land north of the Green Line is telling of their stance towards the north these days. You see, if you truly believe that the north of Cyprus belongs to you, and a refugee lands in the north of Cyprus, then that refugee would be your responsibility.
In not doing that, and in demarcating the line with razor wire, the Greek Cypriot administration has sent a clear message about how much they really believe northern Cyprus to be its own. As I said before, a claim cannot be conditional. If the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a “pseudostate” and a “non-entity” operating on land that belongs to the Republic of Cyprus, then the refugees that land there also belong to the Republic of Cyprus. You can’t just claim the parts of a territory that make money or are good fuel for nationalist myths – if you have a view to a future in which you control the ports and the casinos and the beautiful parts, you have to accept the refugees who land their as your own.
Ersin Tatar must have thought all of his Christmasses came at once
Ersin Tatar must have woken up to the news thinking that all of his Christmasses had come at once. In the last thirteen months, he has had to do absolutely nothing while the Greek Cypriot administration seemingly takes step after step towards a formal two-state solution to the Cyprus Problem. Tatar’s silence at the razor wire is telling, too. If you were battling to create a recognised independent state, you wouldn’t say anything while the biggest obstacle to that was busy solidifying its frontiers.
Of course, de facto recognition is not the same as de jure recognition. The Greek Cypriot administration will probably not simply roll over and legally recognise the north – there’s far too many political points to be won at home for that to happen. It is emblematic, however, of what the Greek Cypriot administration really thinks. As I said before when talking about the crossing point situation, decisions like this make it feel like the two sides of Cyprus are really two different countries, and give power to those who support a two-state solution.
Erecting a razor wire fence to stop refugees who are already in Cyprus from coming to your side is a clear-as-day acknowledgement of the existence of the other side, and that leaves two possibilities: either the Greek Cypriot top brass are fools, or they want a two-state solution. Given Nicos Anastasiades’ reported comments on the issue, I think I know the answer.
The 5+1 Meeting is now just over a month away, and I’m predicting a rather short discussion at the moment. What is there to discuss? Meetings between political parties on both sides have apparently been productive, but to what avail? Those in power have made their feelings clear in favour of divergence, rather than convergence between the two sides, and any chance of reunification is in the best case scenario hanging by a thread.
As for the refugees themselves, this move makes a desperate situation even more difficult. The erection of the razor wire is an attack on these people as much as it is an attack on Cypriot reunification. Let us not forget that these people have in most cases flown wars and/or desperate poverty to make it this far, and that making their lives more difficult is a cynical punch down. Thankfully, I trust that the wonderful people at the Refugee Rights Association (Mülteci Hakları Derneği) will do everything in their power to help them, but they shouldn’t be expected to pick up the pieces of mean-spirited governments.
The razor wire really helps no one and solidifies Cyprus’ divide. Whether it has done so irreparably is a question only time can answer.
