73851 - #14: Analysis of the Letter from Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev to President Nixon Moscow, July 23, 1974

N. Lygeros

We have the Letter of Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev to President Nixon Moscow, July 23, 1974. We know it’s a proof that it is the answer to the message of the July 21st, so Brezhnev says to President Nixon: “I have received your message …” You see the first paragraph, “situation there remains complicated and dangerous.” He mentions also the positive way “Your message says about the US readiness to cooperate with the Soviet Union … restoring peace and the previous constitutional arrangements in Cyprus”, in exactly the same terms. But you see at the second point ‘and are proposing to determine as concretely as possible the what, the goal … full restoration on Cyprus of the authority of the lawfully elected Government of that state headed by President Makarios.”

This is a point which is not related to the invasion, this is a point which is related to the coup, only. So, the proposition of Nixon was the ceasefire. But now we have again from the Soviets this proposition in the next paragraph, “the U.N. Security Council Resolution of July 20, 1974, which the USSR and the US, together with other states, voted for.”. So this is a point and we know this resolution. By the way we should mention something about that in another one (podcast). So again you see there “withdrawal from there of foreign military personnel.” .It doesn’t exactly mention if it is Turks or Greeks. You see again that “In your message you, Mr. President,” it’s important “YOU make a big stress on a question of cease-fire on Cyprus“ but “WE are also in favor of it.” No mention about ‘big stress‘. “At the same time it is quite obvious that a simple cease-fire will not settle the problem”, you see, I don’t want just this, I want something which is bigger, the situation before. That’s the point of Brezhnev.

And to prove this, they say, You make a big stress, I am just in favor but remember we don’t need a simple ceasefire. And lastly “…would not turn to be only a temporary pause before a new and maybe more bloody outbreak.” Attila II. So, the explanation of that point is not so important, to have a ceasefire. The important thing is that we need a restoration, so it’s related to the coup and not the invasion. And he mentions it again “which existed before the military intervention of Greece.” As you can see there is not mention to the military intervention of Turkey. Just Greece. So it’s again about the coup and not the invasion. So again the same position “in their concrete expression—in the sense of eliminating outside interference in the internal affairs of Cyprus” .

Just one more point, did you see anywhere the about Turks? No. About Turkey? No. So if you read this, it’s impossible to understand that there is a new problem on July 20th. So everything is done for July 15th. It’s a totally different point of view.