Denktas: If You Are Not Sovereign, Then You Are Minori

Delivering a speech at the symposium entitled, ”Current Legal Situation of Cyprus Under The Light Of 1960 Agreements” organized by Ankara Bar, Denktas said, ”it is not true to expect Turkish Cypriot people who made sacrifices for the sake of protecting their sovereignty to be included in a framework which foresees that their state does not exist. The path on which we have walked with homeland so far is a difficult path. The point which we reached is the state. All of us have to defend our state. If you don’t approve administration in the state, you can change it, there is the methýod of election. But you cannot give the state to people who will destroy it. Those who deny existence of the state don’t have any right to protect the state.”

Denktas stressed that violation of law was the basic cause of Cyprus issue and stated that international arena did not comply with the law.

Denktas said that on the basis of 1960 treaties, there was partnership and the fact that one partner could not dominate the other one, adding that equality was set up on Cyprus in respect of geopolitics interests of Turkey and Greece by the 1960 treaties.

Denktas stressed that 1960 treaties were concluded by thinking very well in order to provide permanent peace among the then governments.

The big partner (Greek Cypriots) attacked in order to unite Cyprus to Greece (Enosis) and overthrew the republic, said Denktas and noted that ”whatever you overthrow we consented to this agreement as it was guaranteed that we would not be under domination in this republic. This is very important in law.”

Denktas said that the formation that came out by agreements could not be changed and that was partnership and no domination, stressing that the expression of ”Cyprus government” in the U.N. Security Council dated March 4, 1964 on sending U.N. Peace Keeping Forces to Cyprus was started to be implemented as ”government of Makarios” in time.

Denktas stated that Makarious presented his fight to the world saying that ”I am launching efforts for full membership,” adding ”therefore he proved that the republic was not a full independent republic, it was a conditional one, that condition was made for peace and that it was an agreement to prevent one from dominating the other one.”

Denktas said that Makarios did not have the right to do that but laws were not fully abided in international arena.

Noting that Turkish Cypriots and Turkey preferred resistance against what Makarios did, Denktas said that resistance continued under very hard conditions.

Underlining that the Greek Cypriots did not have the right to say that ”they are the legal government of Cyprus”, Denktas said, ”we should not lose any time yielding by saying ‘let’s negotiate and what can we gain’ regarding the formulas put forth in an approach which does not accept our sovereignty. We have made this mistake. We spent much time on the table by thinking if we could inject our sovereignty in the formulas which didn’t cover our sovereignty.”

Stating that framework created by 1960 treaties had not changed, Denktas said that one partner could not dominate the other.

Denktas pointed out that the Greek Cypriots could not actually succeed in their fight to own whole of the island under the title ”Cyprus government.”

Criticizing the move of the European Union (EU) to put Cyprus as an obstacle before Turkey again in its last Turkey report, Denktas noted that that obstacle had to be put forth before Greek Cypriot-Greek couple.

Denktas stated that the Greek Cypriots wanted to be granted right to return their former places and Turkish soldiers to leave the island.

Annan plan responded to that demand of the Greek Cypriots, Denktas pointed out.

Recalling that Turkish soldiers were in Cyprus to protect the Turkish Cypriots, Denktas noted that the reason of deployment of Turkish soldiers on Cyprus still continued.

Stating that they protected the state and sovereignty, Denktas said that the Greek Cypriots sat at a negotiation table just as a tactic and to show Turks as unsuccessful.

Denktas noted that the Greek Cypriots achieved that because the Greek Cypriots were known as the ”Cyprus republic.”