"50 years have passed since the twin imperialist crime of 1974, but its wounds remain open. Cyprus and its people are still divided because of the Turkish occupation and the ongoing NATO crime. The treasonous coup and the Turkish invasion in July 1974 did not come out of the blue.
The Greek Junta and EOKA B opened the gates to Attila by committing the crime against Cyprus and the Cypriot people. A crime that was the result of a long-lasting process orchestrated by the darkest circles of the USA and NATO. Divisive plans, "double unions", attempts to physically eliminate President Makarios and a series of machinations culminated with the betrayal of the Greek Junta and EOKA B, which handed over half of Cyprus to Turkey.
We honour the memory of those who resisted the treacherous coup, those who battled against the weapons NATO turned against the Republic of Cyprus, and those who gave their lives in this fight. We honour the communists and the democratic resistance fighters who fought an unequal battle against the malicious plans of the imperialists.
50 years later, the necessity for a common struggle of all Cypriots against imperialism and occupation is as relevant as ever. Against the sirens of fascism and chauvinism on both sides of the occupation line, but also against the sirens of submission to imperialist settlements that are far from solving the Cyprus problem for the benefit of our people. It is NATO itself which, by supporting the occupying force once again, has provocatively mapped Cyprus with coordinates instead of a name, at the suggestion of the USA, of course!
The working class in Cyprus, regardless of language, must transcend the artificial boundaries of those perceptions and far from fatalisms, illusions, nationalism and submission to the imperialist centres (which created the Cyprus problem), take the cause of their country into their own hands. They must conduct a common struggle against imperialism for a solution in favour of the people's interests and against the local capitalists.
The foundations of a solution to the Cyprus problem cannot and must not include elements of division, but must involve the establishment of principles and institutions that clash with any forms of discrimination and the very logic that has created and perpetuated it, especially ethnic division.
In the necessary and imperative solution, it should be a prerequisite that the people, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Armenians, Maronites, Latins, be the sovereign master in an intact, independent, reunited homeland, free from guarantors, foreign troops and divisions.
Our goal is the common anti-occupation struggle of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, led by the working class, for a real solution to the Cyprus issue that will benefit our people and not merely closing the Cyprus issue in favor of the imperialists and the bourgeoisie. After all, historical experience shows that imperialist peace or temporary alliances and settlements of ethnic issues, inevitably lead to new conflicts and hostilities in the future, as an honest agreement benefiting the people is impossible due to imperialist antagonisms.
Proof of this is that the bourgeois classes, which have been negotiating the Cyprus issue for decades, have not been able to secure a sustainable solution. The bourgeoisie cannot bring about a fair solution in favor of the people because it cannot reconcile all the opposing and conflicting interests within Cyprus, the people's desire for reunification, and the interests of imperialism in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Our action for a solution must take into account historical experience, oppose the current balance of power, and be able to link the struggle for a solution to the Cyprus issue with the fight to abolish the root cause, which is the exploitative capitalist system.
We fight for:
- A solution to the Cyprus problem that includes the liberation and reunification of all our people, ending the Turkish occupation and eliminating its consequences.
- The withdrawal of Turkish occupation troops, all foreign troops and military units, and the removal of all foreign bases from the island.
- Ensuring the right of refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes.
- An intact and independent Cyprus without foreign guarantors and protectors.
- One state entity with one international personality, one citizenship, one sovereignty and one people which includes Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Armenian Maronites, Latins - one people regardless of language and religion. A state that recognises and respects national, linguistic, religious and other characteristics (e.g. traditions, cultural characteristics etc.).
- A single economy and institutions which will highlight the real, class nature of the confrontation. So that the Greek and Turkish Cypriots recognize that the conflict is between workers and capitalists and their power, regardless of language and religion.
- Free movement and settlement throughout the territory of Cyprus, without restrictions.
- Disengagement from any kind of imperialist organization. This means, first and foremost, the abolition of guarantees from Turkey, Greece and Britain, and at the same time not replacing them with other transnational imperialist organisations including the EU and NATO.
- Withdrawal from the shackles of the reactionary EU, with a simultaneous struggle to overthrow the exploitative capitalist system. We do not accept EU guarantees, nor do we accept any references to the so-called European acquis, dispelling the illusions created by the relevant rhetoric of the bourgeois powers among the people. After all, the EU adapts its so-called acquis on a case-by-case basis, with exceptions, in accordance with the interests of capital and the international balance of power. This is demonstrated by the EU's firm position that it will include in the acquis, with exceptions, whatever is agreed in the 'final solution' of the Cyprus problem.
- Ending the settlement and withdrawal of settlers, a product of war crime, except in specific humanitarian cases which should be limited, so as not to alter the will of the people and the Turkish Cypriot community itself.
- A change in the balance of power and the formation of the conditions that will enable our people to demand a just solution to the Cyprus problem, which will not be the product of precarious agreements tied to the imperialist chariot, but will be based on the needs of the Cypriot people, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Armenians, Maronites and Latinos.
On the basis of the above axes, we will monitor and intervene in developments, supporting the principle of one state, rejecting partition and the two-state solution. We note that the bizonal settlement being promoted is not a federal but a confederal settlement - "a two-constituent state solution". The critical issue is the non-ethnic separation, which even in the case of the "unitary state", (as prescribed in the truncated 1960s Cyprus constitution, derived from the 1959 NATO settlement), was based on the philosophy of separation (ethnic, linguistic, religious) which proved to be disastrous for our people.
We will examine each form of solution on the basis of the principles we set out herein. We will do the same for a federal form as well. The necessity for one homeland, one sovereignty, one economy, one people, one electoral system with non-segregated electoral lists based on criteria of national origin are non-negotiable.
The root cause of the Cyprus problem, but also to every other imperialist intervention on earth, is the same. Our action will reveal the true nature of the Cyprus problem. We are fighting to create through popular struggle the grounds for the liberation of our enslaved homeland and the reunification of our people. The struggle for the Cyprus problem is inextricably linked to the struggle of the working class and its allies, of the mass popular movement as a whole, to open the way for the abolition of class slavery, capitalist exploitation, which will constantly give birth to new crises, wars, ethnic divisions, divided homelands, injustice.
Communist Initiative of Cyprus
7/15/2024".
communistcy.org