The isolated and the empty-headed

Opinion Cyprus problemTufan Erhurman The isolated and the empty-headed Trit Ftanoi 1536x1024 Relevant News The isolated and the empty-headed 25 August 2026 Pushing back on Turkey’s plans 25 August 2026 The sea doesn’t forgive our safety gaps 25 August 2026 Aristos Michaelides 25 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber I was reading some drivel from Erhurman’s apologists, wondering what on earth is going on in their heads that they can’t grasp a basic point: other people are allowed an opinion about their own country too, and it doesn’t have to line up with theirs, not even remotely. Even the protest against the festival at Kyrenia castle got under their skin. That’s how thin-skinned they are. That’s how empty-headed they are, if you want the polite version. The other day they were banging on (again) about the “Phileleftheros clique” running a “demonisation campaign” against Erhurman, writing about money “for the partition lobby” (money we all know gets handed out to prop up plans drawn up to Turkish specifications), churning out whatever pops into their heads, as if it’s the Greek Cypriots who hold half of Cyprus and threaten the rest. Greek Cypriots, if you can believe it! Who dream of becoming the Greek Cypriot Grey Wolves. They outdo even Ataoglu for sheer vulgarity when it comes to attacking Greek Cypriots who dare disagree with them. If they toned it down just a touch, Ataoglu could probably sign them up to his own party: the settlers’. Can you imagine, they still believe Erhurman wants a solution because he keeps banging on about confidence-building measures (which really just serve the neighbourly relations of two little statelets), while we, apparently, don’t want a solution because we point out his hypocrisy. What exactly are we supposed to do, applaud while our country gets handed over to Turkey, just to keep the peacocks happy? The same people who agreed with Erhurman, just as they agreed with Tatar saying the exact same things, that instead of talking about a solution, he talks about confidence-building measures and the isolation supposedly imposed on Turkish Cypriots by the Greek Cypriots. The cancellation of Serbian participation at the Kyrenia festival was all the excuse he needed. Off he went again with the same old sob story about “creating difficulties for the participation of Turkish Cypriot athletes and traditional dance groups in international events,” about “obstructing even the slightest easing of isolation and the effort to render Turkish Cypriots invisible.” But apparently we’re not allowed to respond, because that would be a “demonisation campaign.” It’s simple, though. Whatever isolation Turkish Cypriots face isn’t down to Greek Cypriots. It’s down to the fact that Turkish Cypriots decided to supposedly take their fate into their own hands. Supposedly, because what they actually decided was to hand their fate over to Turkey. And for 52 years now, they’ve been illegal. There’s no Greek Cypriot embargo isolating them. They’re in isolation by their own choice, because they chose to breach international law, and the international community isn’t obliged to legitimise that breach. Besides, Greek Cypriots, with a state that carries little weight on the world stage, couldn’t impose an embargo even if they wanted to. It’s international organisations, the rules of cooperation between states, and international law that govern relations between countries, and it’s those that block the trade, the football, the direct flights. Shall we repeat an inconvenient truth? Where exactly were Turkish Cypriots isolated from by Greek Cypriots? From 70% of the island’s mineral wealth, 65% of the hotels, 87% of hotel units under construction, 40% of school buildings, 41% of livestock farms, 48% of agricultural export produce, 56% of the island’s beaches. They found all of that, and plenty more, ready-made, and still failed to develop and prosper. Because illegality, because occupation, come with consequences and limits. Greek Cypriots, meanwhile, were left with the legitimate state that Turkish Cypriots walked away from, the Republic of Cyprus, and despite the Turkish plunder they suffered, they made sacrifices, worked hard, developed, and got the state into the European Union and the eurozone. We survived, despite the war of annihilation declared on us by our so-called partners and their mother country. So, what exactly do they want from us now? To stay silent every time some crank spouts nonsense, just so we don’t spoil the mood, and to stop dismantling the people who paint us as criminals holding Turkish Cypriots in isolation? Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Pushing back on Turkey’s plans The sea doesn’t forgive our safety gaps Overnight pharmacies on Tuesday, August 25 Limassol-Paphos motorway lane closures planned for three nights this week Noticeable cool-down, isolated storms forecast for Saturday Anti-Corruption Authority rejects ‘Mafia State’ claims, Anastasiades renews attack Belgium abandons Gaza scholarship students as Italy and UK show evacuations are possible Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.