Konuk Yazar, 22 Nisan 2003
Neophytos Loizides
When Simitis Said “Enosis” in Cyprus……
What Did Simitis Say?
Although I live abroad, I listened to Simitis’s Nicosia speech online on ERT (Greek State TV). Simitis delivered his speech to Greek Cypriot people gathered outside the Ledra Hotel after the mayor of Nicosia, Michalakis Zambellas, had honored him for his support of Cypriot accession to the EU. Simitis’s response to the mayor spoke to the purpose of his visit: he did not intend to celebrate, nor did he wish to antagonize the Turkish people. Rather, he wanted to warn Greek Cypriots that even after securing their accession to the EU, moderation and compromises are needed. A further purpose was to consult (for the first time) members of the Turkish Cypriot political parties, while at the same time, bolstering Greek Cypriot commitment to the UN plan. Speaking in front of a Greek Cypriot crowd, Simitis gave an account of the success of the Cyprus accession process, while emphasizing the political efficacy of compromise, flexibility, and cooperation in foreign policymaking.
I froze when I heard Simitis (in Greek) saying that with this positive attitude “we” achieved “enosis” (union). Unfortunately, the word “enosis” could easily be interpreted to mean union between Greece and Cyprus (not the European Union as the PM probably meant), obviously the most contentious issue in the 20th century history of Cyprus and its two “motherlands,” Greece and Turkey. In Istanbul, for example, I was warned by a minority Greek shopkeeper not to say the word “enosis” in public, as it can electrify the country. The words “enosis,” along with “Megali Idea” (the idea of Greek expansionism) are Greek words that all students learn in Turkish schools. They appear in every history book on the Cyprus problem written from a Turkish perspective.
In this instance, Simitis immediately clarified that “we” had achieved the “entaxi stin Enosi” (accession to the European Union). Nevertheless, the atmosphere appeared strained until the mayor of Nicosia called a Greek and a Turkish Cypriot girl to jointly offer Simitis a flower basket in the shape of Cyprus. “I enosis tis Kyprou” (the union[reunification] of Cyprus), the mayor added nervously…
How were Simitis’s Words Perceived and Utilized?
Not surprisingly, the news of Simitis’s speech made headlines in Turkish and Turkish Cypriot newspapers. Milliyet reported Simitis statement under the heading, “Simitis Ağzından Kaçırdı, Enosis'i Başardık'' (in Turkish, “It Escaped from his Mouth: We have achieved Enosis”), thereby representing the statement as a gaffe and without offering any background information on how this could happen in the Greek language, or any alternate meanings for his phrase. Citing rightwing Greek Cypriot daily Mahi, Milliyet (20/4/2003) further said that Simitis interpreted Greek Cypriot membership in the EU as the realization of enosis (i.e. union with Greece). Although Milliyet mentioned Simitis’s immediate correction, he did not bother to explain to its Turkish readers that the word “enosis” in Greek means simply union, and is now used in the Greek language as a short form for European Union. In fact, most Greeks today use “Union” to signify European Union, not thinking at all of the long ago and largely forgotten struggle of Greek Cypriots to unite with Greece in 1955-59.
The misrepresentation of Simitis’s statement caused an immediate knee-jerk reaction from the Turkish and T/C political leadership. State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said on Sunday, April 20, that Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis's comment ran counter to international law and facts, and that the words which disturbed them must also have greatly disturbed the European Union (EU). And although Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Gul openly doubted whether Simitis had actually made such a statement, in an interview on TRT 2 television, he did not refrain from commenting on the whole issue:
Such remarks, however, will not serve peace and will prove to the whole world to what extent the Turkish Cypriot side is right. Turkey's and the Turkish Cypriot side's concerns are justified if such remarks are made. I believe, however, that no such statement was made. We have to take it at face value that such remarks were not made since they were denied. If such remarks are made, however, the extent that the Turkish Cypriot side is right in its concerns is proved. If such remarks are made, it proves the extent that Mr Denktas, Turkish Cypriot leader, is justified in his statements. (see BBC Monitoring 04/ 20/2003)
Finally, Denktash grabbed the opportunity to attack his moderate opponents in the Turkish Cypriot community who ignored his wish and met with Simitis this past weekend. In a statement to the TRT, Denktash said that with these words, Simitis demonstrated his true intentions. What must actually be viewed with apprehension is the fact that certain circles in northern Cyprus are defending this, rather than the remarks uttered by Simitis. Denktash stressed that enosis is a political expression in Greek literature… (BBC Monitoring 04/21/2003).
What does this incident say about Cyprus and the Greek-Turkish Politics of Nationalism?
There are at least two lessons one can draw from this story. Firstly, our societies do not receive reliable information, as some media may not present the whole story during times of crises. Firstly, Greek and G/C media tried to ignore the event or simply stated that the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot ones are falsifying Simitis’s statements (CYBC). Meanwhile, Turkish media have selected parts of the story that served their purposes giving no indication how the word “enosis” is used today in Greek. The problem is exacerbated by the absence of adequate numbers of journalists or academics with even basic bilingual skills.
Secondly, given Simitis long-standing positive attitude towards Turkey, it is disappointing how easily a misrepresentation of his speech error resonated among media, policymakers, and the Turkish public in general. There are extreme nationalists in Greece and Cyprus but Simitis is certainly not one of them. In his seven years in power, Simitis took a great deal of political risk to improve relations with Turkey. He is one of the strongest supporters of peace in Cyprus combined with progress in Turkish membership into the EU. While his government probably shares some responsibility for the development of past crises, his political courage prevented Greece and Turkey from a devastating war in 1996 over Imia-Kardak and a possible confrontation over the deployment of the Russian S-300 missiles in Cyprus. Then, after Cypriot accession to the EU, Simitis visited Cyprus to rally for moderation and compromises on the basis of the “Annan plan”.
If it is possible to misrepresent Simitis’s intentions, it must be also possible to falsify anything in Greek-Turkish relations. There are few solid interpretive anchors around which decisions are made or political action takes place while reactions to crises depend primarily on how “realities” are framed by actors rather than on “objective” conditions. Nationalist ideologies, schemes and objectives remained unquestioned, to the extent that our media and policymakers make realities out of these misrepresentations. It is strange how the word “enosis” can still make headlines in the press but the sad conclusion is that our societies are still unable or unwilling to engage in a process of “cognitive liberation” (in Doug McAdams words) from what is the traditional way of framing and thinking Greek-Turkish relations.