I've just seen "anlarm" asked the question about the Turkish Cypriots killed, also in Greek section.

Question

Reading the answers, noticed that lots of Greeks who are friendly, told that Greeks and Turks can never be friends.Do you agree with that?

#Edit: SakuraChan; "our island" "they killed our relatives" ... exactly these are the things between peace and hate.

#Edit 2 SakuraChan; although the questions subject is not this, for you to learn the history of cyprus,check out this site and see the Island was never Greek actually. http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/history/

#Leonarda;

There's absolutely no misunderstanding. You are saying you support Turks,love Turkey etc, and so i'm telling that. Read the question. I'm wondering why things change just upside down in a moment. Saying they provoked me and i told bad things. Yes you and some other friendly Greeks did that. That's the easiest thing to do.And not helping the peace.Thumbs down to you.

#Reifguy, you have email.

#Zigzag, see Leonarda has too many advocates. Thums-down means you think that answer is not good. That doesn't mean you don't respect the answerer or that you hate her. Why you people make this thumb thing a great issue.

Answer 1

I don't mind having Turkish people as my friends. Why would I?

But I feel that sometimes this "friendship" is rather forced. For instance, many are too keen to highlight the commonalities between Greeks and Turks. But apart from certain common elements that indeed do surface between Greeks and Turks (food, common words or other), there are big differences that particularly Turkish people fail to see (or so I think).

Greeks share also commonalities with the south Italians or Spaniards and others as well. I have seen Greeks becoming associated with these nations naturally and vis-a-vis. Not with words. They don't need to mention what is common. They don't need to introduce themselves...

Indeed, I do respect Turkey, admire elements of its history, like the open-hearted Turks and their true, genuine nature and sympathize with elements of their culture. But I also become alienated in the idea to live in Turkey where women are not really equal with men, wear scarfs and intellectuals cannot really write/speak freely or that a great % cannot read or write and that the whole nation finds its pride in its army and the "muscles". These are all too brutal and anachronistic for me. All too non-European and very distant from the values I was raised. I once dared to travel beyond Ankara towards the eastern part of Turkey. Truly, I felt like a stranger. Nothing was there I could associate with.

So, unless we understand that those "commonalities" are also "perceptions" we will never be able to appreciate each other for what we really "are" and not what we "think" we are.

Anlarm's question was based on his true emotions. I do really respect that. Let's allow all Cypriots to live together. No other country should have a say on this. Period.

Answer 2

As i believe you already know, Greece was under Turkish occupation for 4 hundred years. The Cypriots themselves speak the greek language and know that they derive from ancient Greek inhabitants. In fact, they are Greeks. Yet, the political games of the past and a series of unfortunate events didn't allow Greece and Cyprus to become one country. The the Turks arrived and stayed at the island, as i it belonged to them. They have remained there ever since...

Answer 3

SakuraChan, Cyprus was never *Greek*. It belonged to the Byzantines (well Greek? ok, if you say so.) until 1192, and if I am not mistaking, then there was a Latin Kingdom then the Venetians occupied it. In 1518 the island was Ottoman. After that date we know the story, it became a British colony around late 1870s.

Cyprus will not/cannot be another Crete. All Turks want is a peaceful environment where people can coexist despite all the differences. Is that too much to ask? What is wrong with your next door neighbor being a Turk or a Greek?

I read the answers to anlarm's question. I am so surprised to see that, like a parrot, everyone wrote an answer with that exceptionally unique(!) sort of style. Instead of feeling sorry for what happened, instead of arguing how wars and death of innocent civilians can be prevented in the future, they *defend* themselves by stating the claims made by "their" side. "What about this, what about that " wait a second, this is NOT a competition. You cannot subject the massacres or afflictions of innocent people to a sentence just to make an ordinary, patriotic defense. "My daddy can't beat your daddy when it comes to killing civilians" Unfortunately this seems to be the mentality behind most of the answers given there. These things DID happen, by writing them to defend your case trivializes the matters, it an insult to those who died. It's easy to write these sitting on a chair, looking at a screen. You never know how it feels until you lose a loved one for nothing.

I said before, I'm telling it again, you can be befriend a Greek. But as soon as the conversation shifts into slightly iffy, conflicting political, historical whatever aspects it is inevitable to argue unless one side is completely deprived of any kind of patriotic feeling. That's just the way it is. So your best bet is to avoid speaking of these facts or when it is spoken, you have to see the intentions of the speaker and you shouldn't get all too suspicious about 'provocateurs'.

You can't dismiss history for a so called peace, that peace would be highly hypocritical.

Edit for SakunaChan: I knew you were going to hang on to that small detail of mine regarding the Greekness of the Byzantines so in order to avoid that I put that phrase in the brackets. I couldn't care less what you think the Byzantines were, that is not for me to decide but there are a number of people who call themselves Greek and don't take pride in the Byzantines. I am not going to give a detailed account of it. Also I didn't comment on the heritage of people living in Southern Cyprus, thus that is irrelevant. My intention is to merely indicate that no one can claim that Cyprus was/is Greek.

So before jumping and swinging on the the pretty, glamorous trees of patriotism, read,read,read and comprehend what is written.

Answer 4

Nation's politics may not be friendly but we are human and should behave kindly eachother.People ,who were killed,were human firstly then comes their nation.When I heard that kinds of news from other countries,it also makes me sorry. Greek,Turk,English or French it isnt important.Innocent babies,humans dont deserve this cruelty.Only I know I cant be friend with cruel men.

Answer 5

I was really shocked to see how the Greeks responded! It ran completely out of proportions! The bottom line is that some innocent civilians got murdered and murder is a crime thus the murderer should be punished! There are, unfortunately, too many murderers on this planet but let's remember that they are only individuals and the blame should go to them and not to a whole nation!

Answer 6

Fahri,

If you read all the answers than you must have read mine too.

ı don't have anything else to add but give my applause to our youngest one, Eylül and her comments.

Thinking again, I have to add that I am very disappointed.

I noticed that people without proper knowledge still keep on demonstrating their ignorance by hiding behind the fact of patriotism.. Sad and pitiful really..

What I care most tonight is whether anybody will remember to say a prayer to the souls of earthquake victims of 1999. For the ones who don't remember, it is the 8th anniversary tonight.

Life is not a boat trip under the moonlight or a garden of red roses.and we are not immortal and being too proud of yourself is a sin -if you are a believer- and a deficiency in character.

Everybody, please keep that in mind....

Answer 7

I think if we think about politics NO...

but that's only possible in personal friendships...

we know the history and every time we trusted them there was something done against us so as a nation (in politics) we can not and should not forget it (in politics, you know wars etc.) but as a person I can be friends with Greeks and have no problems with it as long as they dont bring up these issues...

do not forget their education system schools etc. teach badly of Turks and obviously its their problem but thats causing two nations problems and thats why they should perhaps do something about it...

lately I firmly believe that as people we are similar as every one says but we have very strong few differences.....

so yes we can be friends in a personal level but right now unfortunately it doesnt look like in national level, I think 2 countries should not try to be friends nor enemies just be civil with each other...as for people they should not see eachother as Turks and Greeks but HUMAN...

now I will get lots of thumbs down but that's my personal opinion...

Answer 8

Of course. If people don't stick a political statement in even a simple, Hello, how are you?

Politics can be discussed, and in a decent, fact-based way, and after it is discussed, it should be laid aside. We wouldn't be able to get along with our own spouses and girl/boyfriends if we discussed politics all the time.

Some Greeks may think they can never be friends with us and it's their individual opinion. It is not a binding rule for a whole population. Having said that, I have to say I dislike comments like, "Hey, ..., did you see what your friends are saying?" or, "You are a traitor for befriending those people."

We have certain people among us who aren't above this level, either. Still, we feel free to call such people racist and fascist, and we make distinction between this behaviour and patriotism.

And if I continue like this my post will go on to be a novel. I shut up:P

Answer 9

I wont answer about the friendship thing, but i don't really got any prob to be friend with a Turk or someone else..

But I'll answer about Cyprus. I know its a long long story, and many years have passed by.. But let's forget you're Turk.. Would you like to live together with some other nation, when they annihilated your island, killed your relatives and took your homes? I know its not that dramatic as i say, but let's think about. I live in Athens not in Cyprus but i think i can understand how Greek in Cyprus feel about Turks.

-> no no believe me i don't hate Turks, I'm not talking as a stupid patriot. Its a fact that Cyprus was Greek once :o
And its a fact that Turks inhaled it. Am i wrong?!
Well my English aren't that good, may the way I'm talking sounds like i hate you guys but really im not!
I just tried to think like i was a greek in cyprus and try to think how it would be if i lived in those years, if you get what i mean.

->Trotsky vs Kerensky: Excuse me but byzantines wasnt greek?!?! lol.. Since they migrate from Greece, was talking Greek, believed in the 12 gods (in the beggining at least, before Jesus) and had Greek names then what was they?!
-> 395 - 649 - Island becomes a part of the Byzantine Empire when Cyprus is gradually converted from paganism to Orthodox Christianity (Early Byzantine period)
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The Byzantine Empire or Byzantium is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages, centered around its capital of Constantinople.
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I won't argue anymore here to be honest.. I know we both been teached different things at schools. I know you cant really find the truth. Maybe you are right. Cyprus was never Greek. But since Cyprus citizens WANT to be called Greeks, it's their choice. And im proud of having them as brothers.
Anyway that completely offtopic. Just continue to the main question, cause the "was cyprus greek" its an unending discussion and i dont really want to argue for it anymore. im already tired.

Answer 10

I'm shocked by Maria's answer. i know she is a very kind lady and she must be out of patience. i saw all of mustafa abi's questions and i couldn't answer them cause i knew whatever i would say will be nonsense. I'm really sorry for this issue.

for your question; maria, George, Angelo, tolia, reifguy and others are still on my contact list and i won't remove them. we all have different political ideas which we know won't change. in the past both sides made mistakes and we have to learn from it but that does not mean that we should forget what happened just to make friendship.
i know when Angelo supported Turks against Armenians, provocateurs and many others.
i know when Maria told in travel section that tourists should go to Türkiye because it is worthy and many more information
i know when George told that Turkish cuisine is rich and he complimented our country
and tolia's will to learn Turkish
it is really hard for me forget that cause i wasn't really expecting these kind of behavior, especially from Angelo. I'm very proud to have such a cultivated friend (if he sees me as his friend).
we can argue about past and history but we cannot change it. we have to be open minded and respect to everyone's idea.