Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: "Love of homeland, love of nation and love of religion. If you cannot teach all three of these loves to society, you will lose it."

Noting that Türkiye has exercised all its rights under international law in Cyprus, Prof. Tarhan said that much more work needs to be done for the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus all over the world.

Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that "There is racial nationalism, geographical nationalism and religious nationalism. These three need to be together. The three nationalisms need to be taught together. Love of country, love of nation and love of religion..."

On the 50th anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation, President of Üsküdar Prof. Nevzat Tarhan talked about his experiences in the region in those years and drew attention to the lessons to be learned for Türkiye and Northern Cyprus.

"I went as a medical lieutenant and stayed for a year"

Reminding that the Cyprus Peace Operation started on July 20, 1974 and aimed to ensure peace on the island, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan went to Cyprus on the second anniversary of this operation and served on the 28th anniversary of this operation. He explained that he served in the 60-bed mobile surgical hospital attached to the Division Command.

Prof. Tarhan stated that "I went to duty as a medical lieutenant and stayed for one year. At that time, the working time was 24 hours. There is no distinction between day and night at all. I had to get permission to go somewhere on Saturday and Sunday. The operation had just arrived. Ulukışla, where we went, is still a military zone. We stayed there and I was working as a physician in the 60-bed mobile surgery hospital there. The surgeons, in turn, came from Gaziantep. Surgeons came every four months. I was there for a year. I was on the permanent staff. Our division commander was Kemal Yamak at that time. Later, he became the Commander of the Army Forces. Later, the Secretary General of the Presidency... He retired from there.”

Experiences in the region after the operation

While emphasizing the importance of the Cyprus Peace Operation, Prof. Tarhan explained his experiences in the region after the operation and stated that exercises were held from time to time in the field hospital and that soldiers from different geographies were also served.

Noting that the military headquarters is located in the village, which is an old Greek region, and that they are working to turn the church there into a mosque, Prof. Tarhan stated that "There is a mosque, but when there is no congregation, no one has taken care of it. As soldiers, we went and took care of it then. The church has been converted into a mosque."

First, minds are occupied...

Reminding that there are also those who went to Cyprus from Türkiye and settled, Prof. Tarhan continued his remarks as follows:

"Now they are well integrated there. The mujahideen there are separate. There is a group called Mujahideen. They are the people trained by Türkiye. They fought just like Turkish soldiers. However, there was something there that was disconnected from society. I attribute this to the colonialism practiced by the then administration. In Cyprus, minds are occupied. The minds of the Turks there have been occupied. When the minds were occupied, the occupation of the Greeks became easier. In fact, a preliminary preparation was made there. It was there that I discovered that. In other words, their minds are invaded first. This is the British method. You think of yourself as formally free; however, voluntary colonialism is practiced. I saw the British play there. In other words, the minds of both the Greeks and the Turks there were occupied, and they became British fans. There were people who said, 'We want to go to England at the first opportunity.' They want to get a British passport in such a fascinating way, and when all this is like this, on the one hand, there is a kind of Stockholm syndrome. Falling in love with your executioner... I mean, the British made them fall in love with them."

Tarhan: "The mind is occupied. One step further is for Türkiye to be like Cyprus."

Stating that the British did not interfere with the worship and race of the people in the region, but they admired them with entertainment and art, Prof. Tarhan said, "Something voluntary was done by praising them and admiring them. That's colonialism... It's a mental invasion method. Currently, the same method is applied in Türkiye. A group of people in Türkiye also live in Türkiye physically, but mentally like an Englishman, like a Frenchman... The mind is occupied. The next step forward is for Türkiye to be like Cyprus."

Tarhan: "Cyprus is a very important lesson for us"

Prof. Tarhan continued his evaluations on this subject as follows:

"It is necessary to modernize by preserving one’s own culture and own identity. Currently, the global system proposes modernization by changing its own identity. A person who has mentally purchased this knowledge feels as if one is physically free, but not spiritually and in terms of identity. In other words, I say this because I see a vivid example of this in Cyprus. It set a bad example in Cyprus. There were those who did not think about this, but unfortunately a significant majority of them were like this in Cyprus. Such was the case with a significant majority of the civilian population there. When you went shopping, when you did something, we saw the English influence very strongly there. The nationals were in the minority there. Rauf Denktaş was one of those who tried to become a national there. He was one of the few who made it. In other words, for these reasons, Cyprus has been a bad role model for Türkiye. Cyprus is a very important lesson for us. As a historical phenomenon, we need to draw cultural inferences."

"We cannot say that the same game is not being played in Türkiye now"

Noting that people whose minds have been occupied by the psychological warfare method in Cyprus are easily occupied, Prof. Tarhan said that "If Türkiye had not caught up, there would not be a single Turk left there right now, or they would have completely changed. Now, we cannot say that the same game is not being played in Türkiye. Thus, we need to learn this lesson from there. This is one of the most important takeaways I draw from Cyprus. This is one of his most important observations. Apart from that, of course, the paradise place is a very beautiful place. From Karpaz to Erenköy."

The water problem in Cyprus...

Explaining that he saw that Cyprus is drier now than it was then, Prof. Tarhan said that water is the most troubled in the region, especially as a result of the mismanagement of water resources, and that Türkiye provides a great service there, and that water is transported from the sea. Pointing out some of the events and experiences he encountered in Cyprus at that time, Prof. Tarhan explained how he removed the insect that escaped into the ear of a young woman, and then his experiences in the surgical removal of a callus on a soldier's foot.

Emphasizing the contributions of the experiences he gained during his tenure in Cyprus, both professionally and personally, Prof. Tarhan expressed that "I took a lot of books with me on my way there. The opportunity to study there was plentiful. You are all together because it is 24 hours a day. We were doing outpatient clinics every day. Emergency patients were coming, we were taking them to Kyrenia by ambulance."

Türkiye has exercised all its rights under international law in Cyprus

Reminding that Türkiye has exercised all its rights under international law in Cyprus, Prof. Tarhan stated that "While I was there, the Federated State of Cyprus was declared. It was later declared as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. There is a saying from a Cypriot colleague. In other words, when he was asked, 'Can you be friends with the Greek Cypriots?', he said, 'We have a word here: there is no hide from a pig, there is no friend from a Greek.' They have lived it. They saw evil from the Greeks and took refuge in the British. The Greeks and the Turks were pitted against each other by the British. He provided them with refuge. It was such a game. That is the British game. When they were called British, they wanted to finish their school and go to England immediately. Thus, I saw that there was such an understanding. For this reason, the young people raised there in Northern Cyprus should be raised not only with geographical nationalism but also with religious nationalism. Because a person who does not have a sense of martyrdom cannot protect their homeland. One runs away at the first opportunity."

Love of country, love of nation and love of religion...

Informing about nationalism, Prof. Tarhan stated that "That is why there is racial nationalism, geographical nationalism and religious nationalism. These three need to be together. It is only racism if there is racial nationalism. If it is just geographical nationalism, it becomes a regional thing. If it is just religious nationalism, then it is something like religious racism. This can also cause a separate separatism. That is why there is a need for a cultural nationalism that unites the three. It is necessary to determine policies that will ensure the participation of the people in that region in life by preserving the region's own culture. The three nationalisms need to be taught together. Love of homeland, love of nation and love of religion. If you cannot teach all three of these loves, you are going to lose it to a community."

"It is no longer possible to sit down and talk and agree with the Greek Cypriots"

Pointing out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should work much harder for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to be recognized all over the world, Prof. Tarhan said that "It is no longer possible to sit down and talk and agree with the Greek Cypriots. They always want concessions. There should be a demand from the people to solve the political problem here. With a people who send their children to the south, it will be independent, but it will not be free."

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)