One of the most common criticisms against us by foreigners unfamiliar with the Cypriot issue is regarding the prosperity of our land. The basis of their criticism is a supposed linkage between success and happiness. And indeed some of us, especially the refugees feel guilty when we are blamed for our success.
As if you lose your moral rights, if you manage to overcome the misery of your destiny.
How many are the Cypriots who virtually lost all of their possessions with the brutal Turkish invasion of our island and started their lives over from the begining? We all know that they form a large proportion of the population.
But how many realize that the potential of these people who had nothing else to lose is one of the reasons of our membership in Europe? Without its standard of living, Cyprus could not claim anything. And if our membership is an important step towards the solution, it is in fact due to the dynamic component of our economy. We see therefore that our prosperity is not a stigma.
The fact is that a financial element, if its used strategically, it may even become a moral argument. Our prosperity, in a place that is still tormented by the occupying system, with all neutral expansions, proves that our people can overcome even the most difficult situations. And as now we have altered the context of the Cypriot issue, because we are no longer a Cyprus in Europe, but a Europe that has the status of Cyprus, we should handle even more dynamically our ability to promote our rights.
History taught us that the economy is a strategic notion. Human rights belong unfortunately in an energetic field but in actual fact they are examined in a passive manner. Justice is not applied by itself, it requires battles. Regimes change only with applied pressures. Our attitude should be dynamic.
These appeals provide not only a positive framework for Cyprus, but also a dynamic pressure against Turkey. The appeals constitute a just procedure, which is even more dynamic within the European context. Because in order for Turkey to join , it must obtain all of the vital accession criteria . So the appeal massifications play an important role, as now it is not just a debate between Cyprus and Turkey, but between Europe and Turkey .
In order for this common goal to be achieved, there should be a coordination which could begin with the process of briefing. Every citizen of Cyprus should know that the government will help in this process, that there are lawyers, who are at a ready to handle his case with a minimal cost,that there are independent organizations and businesses which would cover the necessary expenses.
Justice is with us but we should not wait arount for it. Waiting is a small death. Now we have nothing to lose, but only to gain our rights, fighting massively, using our financial weapons and addressing the Cypriot problem dynamically . They have stolen our past, but the future belongs to us.