Letter written to the U.N. Secretary General by H.E. Mr. Aytuð Plümer, the TRNC NY Representative on 27.02.2002 

I have the honour to refer to the statement made by the representative of the Greek Cypriot administration to the Third Committee on 28 January 2002, under agenda item 117, “Elimination of racism and racial discrimination”, which contains false allegations against the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Since the Greek Cypriot side is habitually utilizing every opportunity to distort facts pertaining to the question of Cyprus in every international forum where the Turkish Cypriot side is denied lawful representation, I am compelled to respond, once again, in writing in order to put the record straight.

Representatives of the Greek Cypriot administration refer repeatedly to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an “occupied area”. I wish to emphasize that the only “occupation” in Cyprus is the 38-year-long usurpation and continued occupation of the seat of the “Government of the Republic of Cyprus” by the Greek Cypriot side. The Cyprus question did not come about as a result of Turkey’s intervention in 1974, as alleged by the Greek Cypriot side, but was created in December 1963 when the Greek Cypriot wing of the Republic of Cyprus destroyed, by force of arms, the 1960 partnership Republic, forcefully ejecting the Turkish Cypriots from all State organs and subjecting them to persecution and discrimination. The fact that a United Nations peacekeeping force was dispatched to the island in March 1964 confirms that the Cyprus question began in 1963 with the Greek Cypriot onslaught on defenceless Turkish Cypriots throughout the island.

During the tragic years between 1963 and 1974, the Greek Cypriots carried out a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Turkish Cypriots, pushing them into enclaves throughout the island. Mosques, shrines and other places of worship in 103 villages and towns were destroyed. The report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council of 10 September 1964 (S/5950 and Corr.1) underlined that the Turkish Cypriot areas were kept under a “veritable siege”.

The Greek Cypriot representative has alleged that the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots have been separated since 1974 and that the issue of displaced persons in Cyprus came about in 1974, affecting only the Greek Cypriot side. In fact, the issue of displaced persons came about when one fourth of the Turkish Cypriot population was rendered homeless as from December 1963 when they had to flee for their lives as a result of the Greek Cypriot onslaught. In 1974, as a result of the Greek Cypriot coup d’état, 65,000 Turkish Cypriots fled to the North to seek refuge in safer areas. It should be recalled that the question of displaced persons was settled through the Voluntary Exchange of Populations Agreement reached between the two sides at the third round of talks, held at Vienna in 1975. The Agreement was implemented under the supervision of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.

The Greek Cypriot administration bears full responsibility for the blatant violation of human rights of the Turkish Cypriots since 1963. In their everyday life, Turkish Cypriots have been subjected to inhuman embargoes by the Greek Cypriot administration in the social, cultural, economic and political fields. These embargoes range from prohibitions put on the simplest forms of transactions of the Turkish Cypriot people with the outside world to the most fundamental issues such as freedom of travel and communication and representation at all international forums. In line with these inhuman measures, the Greek Cypriot authorities have been punishing everyone, including tourists, for engaging in trade with Turkish Cypriots; refusing entry to tourists who wish to cross to South Cyprus from the North; arresting the captains of ships which call at Turkish Cypriot ports before arriving at Southern ports; and continually threatening the countries which enter into economic, social, cultural, educational or sporting activities with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Against this background, we hope that the international community will strongly urge the Greek Cypriot administration to abandon its policy of discrimination against the Turkish Cypriot people and to remove the abovementioned embargoes. This would be in line with the spirit of the direct talks currently under way between the two States in Cyprus. In order to facilitate the process of reconciliation in Cyprus, the Greek Cypriot side should stop pretending that it represents the island as a whole and refrain from exploiting international forums against the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Turkey.

I should be grateful if the present letter were circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 62 and 117, and of the Security Council.