Today marks 20 July, 52 years since that dark day in 1974 when the Turkish army set foot on a betrayed and defenceless Cyprus and, facing almost no resistance, managed within just a few days to complete the first phase of its planned invasion, leaving behind death, destruction and the displacement of thousands of our compatriots. The invasion was completed almost a month later with the occupation of nearly 40 per cent of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, which remains under Turkish control to this day.
As every year, we will remember that dark day with anger and sorrow. We will condemn it, hold memorial services for the victims, organise commemorative events and marches, and repeat the familiar calls for an unwavering struggle until the liberation of our homeland and the achievement of justice. We will speak of towns and villages that have not been forgotten and to which we will one day return, and of rights that we will never relinquish.
Then, once the speeches have been made and the ceremonies concluded, we will return to our homes and daily routines. And because we are in the height of summer, we will set aside the memories and the struggle and begin preparing for holidays and seasonal celebrations.
That is how we have carried on for 52 years, more than half a century. We remember the invasion and occupation on this day every year, only to forget them the next. As if the invasion and occupation are merely an anniversary. As if they are not present before us every single day. As if we do not live with their consequences every day. As if the barbed wire dividing our homeland does not stand before us day after day.
The bitter truth is that the invasion, occupation and division of our country ceased to be among our priorities long ago. Unfortunately, we have learned to live with them and have become comfortable with what they left behind. We are satisfied with living well in our own half of the island and are afraid of anything that might disrupt that comfort.
Yet the invasion, occupation and division of our homeland will not end on their own, nor through passionate speeches at commemorative events.
We can cast them off and reunite Cyprus only through a fair, consensual and mutually acceptable settlement of the Cyprus problem. A solution that is not tailored solely to our own demands and aspirations, but also takes into account those of the other side. A solution that may, in the short term, disturb the comfort we have grown accustomed to, but one that will lay solid foundations for the future of this country.
If we fail to realise this and act upon it, the occupation and division will remain entrenched, and we will be left merely condemning them on each anniversary for the next 52 years as well.
