Under the title “Guarantorship”, columnist Mehmet Levent replies in Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (29.05.15) to the statement made by Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan who had said that Turkey will not abandon its rights as a guarantor power in Cyprus and that it is not possible to accept the guarantees of the European Union (EU). The columnist recalls the position of the Greek Cypriot side that the system of guarantees has bankrupted and should be dissolved. Levent reports:

“This is much more realistic, because Cyprus, the Cypriots and the State of the Republic of Cyprus suffered everything which it suffered after 1960 because of the three guarantors: Turkey, Britain and Greece. They are the ones who are pouring out on us the mess which we still cannot clean. […] They dynamited the 1960 Republic of Cyprus by using in the worst manner the rights and powers given to them by the Treaty of Guarantees.

They are the ones who plotted the 21 December 1963! Who organized the coup against the Republic of Cyprus? The fascist junta of guarantor Greece!
Who showed as an excuse this coup, interfered militarily in Cyprus and occupied half of the island? Guarantor Turkey! Who distributed the property of the Greek Cypriots, whom he sent away, to the population he brought and settle from Turkey? Guarantor Turkey! Who boasts of changing all the international balances without withdrawing a single soldier, without giving a handful of land? Guarantor Turkey! Who does not recognize and ignores the Republic of Cyprus, which is recognized by the entire world? Guarantor Turkey! And finally who remained only a spectator to all these disgraces, to these illegal fait accompli, who said nothing against the island’s being divided in two, like a watermelon, by Turkey with the use of force of weapons and with costing the lives of thousands of people and [who said nothing] to the establishment of an illegal state dependent on Turkey and therefore who became an accomplice to the war and the crime against humanity that caused bloodshed on the island? Guarantor Britain! […]

If now the Greek Cypriot side wants the dissolution of the system of guarantees and says that it has bankrupted, it is absolutely right. This is the reasonable and rational thing to do.

Let us now return to the beginning and to the pearls said by Erdogan regarding the guarantees. He says that it is definitely not possible for them to accept the EU’s guarantees in Cyprus, because the EU has not fulfilled its duty. How, he says, they will trust its justice?

First of all, at this stage the following reality should be put forward in a definite manner. In case a just solution acceptable by both sides is reached, Cyprus will not need and should not need any guarantors after the guarantorship tragedy experienced for 40 years. This is the way to reason and rationality.

‘How we will trust EU’s guarantees and justice’ wonders Erdogan! It is very simple. There should be no [guarantees]. However, if there will necessarily be guarantees, the way your guarantees and justice were trusted in 1960 and this trust paved the way to the occupation and the invasion tragedy you have created, in the same way you will trust the EU’s guarantees and justice. Do not be afraid, no worst trouble can happen to this island than the one you have built”.