Question:
On March 3, 2012, Egemen Bağış, the Minister for European Union Affairs in the Turkish government and chief negotiator, stated to a correspondent for the "Cyprus" newspaper during his visit to Britain to meet with officials regarding the Cyprus issue: "All options are on the table for a solution in Cyprus. The solution could take the form of a union (a united state) by agreement between the two leaders. It could also take the form of two states (within one state) by an agreement between the two leaders on a settlement, or it could be by annexing Northern Cyprus to Turkey. All options are on the table. However, what we hope for and what is on our minds is a union of two states into one state in Cyprus." But the Turkish minister did not mention the original solution, which is the annexation of the entirety of Cyprus to Turkey, as it was a part of it. What is the reality of these statements? May Allah reward you with goodness.
Answer:
1- The Turkish minister proposed old American projects, as America has been presenting these plans since the 1970s. These plans involve either dividing the island into two separate states, having the two sectors function as two states within one state (i.e., a federal or confederal union), or annexing Northern Cyprus to Turkey and Southern Cyprus to Greece.
However, after Southern Cyprus became a member state of the European Union, it is unlikely that there is any thought of annexing the southern sector to Greece. Like Greece, it enjoys full membership in the Union, possesses its own independence, and is given significant consideration; it will chair the presidency of the European Union this coming July. Furthermore, Greece's situation is poor, especially economically, so the people in the South do not favor annexation, even if they possess Greek nationalistic feelings mixed with religious fanaticism.
Thus, the Turkish threat comes from one side. This is the first time a Turkish official has spoken this way since the Cyprus issue first appeared on the scene—that is, since America began taking actions in Cyprus in the 1950s to influence British influence there and subsequently expel Britain to replace it. This continued until Britain was forced to grant superficial independence to Cyprus in 1960, installing a Christian cleric, Patriarch Makarios, over it, and making its agent, Rauf Denktaş, the representative for the Muslims and his deputy. Thus, the island remained united within Britain's grip.
It appears that the Turkish threat came after the deadlock in talks related to Cyprus with the British. Minister Egemen Bağış added in his statements to that newspaper on March 3, 2012, upon meeting with British Foreign Secretary William Hague: "Britain monitors both sides with sensitivity, but I do not see it moving with great enthusiasm regarding the use of its influence. We worked on persuading it regarding this matter. Since Britain is one of the guarantor states in Cyprus, we believe it must practice a more effective policy and play a stronger constructive role."
2- From here, it is clear that the British do not want the solutions proposed by America, which the Turkish minister reiterated, even if they pretend to support a resolution to the issue. The British have two important military bases in Cyprus containing more than 24,000 British soldiers, in addition to wiretapping and intelligence equipment to spy on and monitor the region. Britain is one of the guarantor states according to the agreement signed in 1964, whereby it, Turkey, and Greece became guarantor states for the situation Britain designed on the island following the events initiated by the Greek Cypriots against the Turkish Muslims. Thus, Britain maintained its presence and influence there according to this agreement.
The southern sector of Cyprus is internationally and Europeanly recognized and is part of the European Union. Since Britain is also part of the European Union, the British presence in Cyprus has become akin to an internal rather than an external presence, and other EU countries are not bothered by this presence. In fact, they implicitly support the British position, even if they declared support for the Annan Plan, because it ensures Greek control over the island's governance and ends the existence of a Turkish state there. Therefore, Britain will not relinquish its presence and influence in Cyprus.
3- The Europeans are exerting pressure on Turkey to achieve their demands under the name of the "Cyprus File," which is one of the files that have not been settled between them and Turkey and subsequently closed. This is among the pending files obstructing Turkey's accession to the European Union, which number about 35 files. These include internal issues such as the so-called "minorities" from the Kurdish file to the Alevi file, the Armenian file, the democracy and human rights file, the constitutional amendment file, accepting international supervision over elections, and matters related to reducing the military's role in government, among other files.
Among their demands regarding the Cyprus file is the opening of Turkish ports and airports to Greek Cypriots. However, Turkey has not implemented the agreement related to this because the Europeans did not fulfill their pledge to lift the embargo they impose on Turkish Cypriots according to the agreement reached between the two parties. Thus, the Cyprus file, along with seven other files, is frozen and unsettled. Likewise, Turkey refuses to recognize the state of Southern Cyprus, controlled by the Greeks, until a settlement of the issue occurs. Britain, through its agents, worked to obstruct the American plan known as the plan of Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General, when the majority in the southern sector of the island voted against it in 2004.
The Turks in the northern sector voted for it when the government of the northern sector, headed by Mehmet Ali Talat, was an agent for America. Erdogan's government supported it strongly and put all its weight into voting for this plan. Rauf Denktaş fiercely opposed it at the time and called for its rejection; he even came to Turkey and complained about Erdogan's government to the Turkish military leadership, which opposed the government and did not support the Annan Plan at that time, highlighting the conflict between British and American agents in Turkey and Northern Cyprus. This plan stipulated the unification of the island with Turkish participation in governance at certain percentages, while the Greek Cypriots would have the lion's share of power, and the Turks would concede 7% of their land to the Greeks.
4- America will not be satisfied with resolving the issue by annexing the north of the island to Turkey while the southern sector remains as it is and the English remain comfortable there. If that happened without touching their presence and influence, the English would be comfortable and accept it. However, America will not be satisfied with this until it removes the influence of the English, replaces them, removes their bases, and establishes its own. For over fifty years, it has been struggling against them there, so it will not settle for extending its influence only in the north of the island while leaving the English comfortable in the south! The English, through their media, were suggesting to America that it establish bases in the northern part of the island, but the Americans did not take this step because it would imply recognition of the English presence there. America proposed the Annan Plan to control both parts by creating a new political formula on the island that enables it to control the government and force it to execute its orders.
5- The Turkish minister's statement regarding the option of annexing Northern Cyprus to Turkey—though it is one of the old American projects—currently appears as a threat used as a pressure card against the British, the Europeans, and the Greek Cypriots. This is because the British are comfortable with their situation in Cyprus and therefore do not show enthusiasm for solving this issue, and they obstruct American projects through their agents on the island. The Turkish minister made this statement from within Britain, directly blaming Britain for obstructing the solution by saying it does not move with great enthusiasm regarding the use of its influence, does not practice a more effective policy, and does not play a stronger constructive role. These are diplomatic formulas, but they are an implicit accusation against Britain that it is obstructing the solution, or rather, not working toward one.
Annexing Northern Cyprus to Turkey will further obstruct Turkey's accession to the European Union, as the Europeans do not accept this. Therefore, it is unlikely that Turkey will proceed with this at the present time, as it seeks to enter the European Union and is supported by America in this endeavor, which pressures the Europeans to meet Turkey's request to achieve American goals against the European Union. At the same time, it does not achieve what America aspires to in terms of removing Britain's presence and influence from the island, because it would keep the situation in Southern Cyprus as it is, and America cannot penetrate it in this manner. Consequently, the Turkish minister's words are nothing more than a pressure card.
This is while noting that annexing the northern part of the island is not difficult for Turkey because it is considered under its control, with more than 30,000 of its soldiers there, and the current Turkish army leadership has begun to support the government and stand by its side. Thus, this action would not anger the army and would preserve its presence there. The protection of the northern sector, its security, and its interests are all linked to Turkey, and no one recognizes the state or government of this sector except Turkey; thus, its fate is in Turkey's hands. Therefore, annexing it is among the easiest of things, but the regime in Turkey is not independent; it revolves in the orbit of America and does not take such a step except by its instruction. Thus, the hint of annexing Northern Cyprus is to pressure the English and the Greeks in Cyprus so they accept the American plans.
6- The features of this matter will become clearer after next July when the regime in the southern part of Cyprus takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union, revealing the difficulty of Turkey's dealings with this Union. Minister Bağış, responsible for relations with the Europeans and the chief negotiator with them, stated to the aforementioned Cypriot newspaper: "We will not address the Roman (Ar-Rum) regime in Southern Cyprus when it takes the rotating presidency of the European Union in July... but we will deal with the Union as if we do not see the Roman regime as the president of the Union... The Roman regime in Southern Cyprus is acting recklessly. There is a possibility that we will not participate in Brussels meetings under the presidency of this regime." This means the situation will be exploited, and this is an opportunity for America to create confusion and fear among the Europeans and the Greeks if the English and their agents in the southern part of Cyprus do not concede and accept the American plan called the Annan Plan. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized this last year after her meeting with her Turkish counterpart Davutoğlu, saying: "We do not believe that the status quo in Cyprus is in anyone's interest. We want to see a bizonal, bicommunal federation (in Cyprus) and we want to see it as soon as possible" (16/7/2011 AFP). This means America is not satisfied with the situation in Cyprus and wants to shape it according to its vision.
7- As for the correct solution commanded by Islam for the Cyprus problem, it is for the entire island to be annexed to Turkey. Cyprus is an Islamic land and must be attached to its origin, Turkey. The island of Cyprus is an Islamic island opened by the Muslims during the era of our master Othman, the third Rightly Guided Caliph. The European Crusaders occupied it during their first Crusades launched against the Islamic lands, but the Muslims liberated it later and returned it to its origin as a land of the Muslims. It fell under the rule of the Ottoman State like all other Muslim lands because the Khilafah passed to them. The English announced their control over it during the First World War and announced its annexation to Britain, and their agent Mustafa Kemal recognized this in the Treaty of Lausanne. Despite this, Muslims in Turkey consider Cyprus part of their lands and have worked to support their brothers there in the 1960s and 1970s when they were subjected to massacres at the hands of the Romans (Ar-Rum) with varying forms of support from Britain and America. Their army is still there to protect more than 300,000 Muslims.
Despite all of the above, the project of annexing the northern sector of Cyprus to Turkey without the southern sector in compliance with American projects—even if it is unlikely and Turkey is not actually working to achieve it—is considered a concession of two-thirds of the island to the Romans (Ar-Rum), i.e., to the disbelievers (Kuffar). The Turks, officially, popularly, and in the media, use these names for the Greeks in Cyprus, saying: the Romans, the Southern Roman Sector, and the Roman Regime. Settling for one-third of the island, which is the northern part, is a violation of Islam, and the sin falls upon everyone who agrees to it, because the original rule is to annex the entire island of Cyprus to Turkey and attach it to its origin.
The government headed by Erdogan and his party is working to lose this issue permanently and change the Muslims' view of it so that they no longer see it as their island! The Kuwaiti news agency (KUNA) quoted the Turkish newspaper "Akşam" on March 9, 2012, from an official source in the ruling Justice and Development Party, saying: "The Erdogan government believes that the Annan peace plan can form an important ground for achieving a lasting and just peace in Cyprus, especially since the United States and all European Union countries support this plan." He added: "The Justice and Development Party seeks to establish a new view of the Cyprus issue and persuade many circles in Turkey not to view this issue as a purely Turkish national issue; rather, it must be viewed primarily as a human rights issue. What concerns us in this matter is the protection of the rights of Turkish Cypriots through international, American, and European guarantees."
Viewing Cyprus as a human rights issue, like any foreign issue in the corners of the earth, rather than the issue of an Islamic land separated from its origin, is a loss of Cyprus. The sin of this loss falls upon everyone who contributes to it or accepts it until the Day of Resurrection. The Muslims will not relinquish Cyprus, nor any part of the Muslim lands lost by oppressive rulers; rather, they will return it, by Allah’s permission, if not sooner then later. And indeed, tomorrow is near for the one who awaits it.