Noting that Turkey used all its rights under international law in Cyprus, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that much more effort is needed for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to be recognized worldwide.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “There is ethnic nationalism, geographical nationalism, and religious nationalism. These three must be together. The three forms of nationalism must be taught together. Love of homeland, love of nation, and love of religion…”
Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Chairman of the Board of Management Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, on the 50th anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation, recounted his experiences in the region during those years and drew attention to the lessons to be learned for Turkey and Northern Cyprus.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, reminding that the Cyprus Peace Operation started on July 20, 1974, and aimed to ensure peace on the island, stated that he went to Cyprus on the second anniversary of this operation and served for one year in a 60-bed mobile surgical hospital affiliated with the 28th Division Command.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, “I went to duty as a medical first lieutenant and stayed for one year. During that period, working hours were 24 hours. There was no day or night. You needed to get permission to go somewhere on Saturdays and Sundays. The operation had just taken place. Ulukışla, where we went, is still a military zone today. We stayed there, and I was assigned as a physician in a 60-bed mobile surgical hospital. Surgeons came from Gaziantep in turn. Surgeons arrived every four months. I was there for one year. I was on permanent staff. Our division commander at that time was Kemal Yamak. Later, he became the Commander of the Land Forces. After that, he became the Secretary-General of the Presidency… He retired from there.”
Emphasizing the importance of the Cyprus Peace Operation, Prof. Dr. Tarhan, recounting his experiences in the region after the operation, stated that drills were occasionally conducted in the field hospital, and soldiers from different geographies were also served.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that the military headquarters was in a village that used to be a Greek Cypriot region and that they worked to convert the church there into a mosque. He recounted, “There was a mosque, but with no congregation, no one took care of it. We, as soldiers, went and took care of it then. The church was converted into a mosque.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, reminding that there were also people who went from Turkey to settle in Cyprus, continued as follows:
“Now they are thoroughly integrated there. The mujahideen there are separate. There is a group called mujahideen. They are people trained by Turkey. They fought like Turkish soldiers. But there was something detached from society there. I attribute this to the colonialism practiced by the administration at that time. In Cyprus, minds were occupied. The minds of the Turks there were occupied. When minds are occupied, the occupation by the Greek Cypriots becomes easier. Actually, a preliminary preparation was made there. I discovered that there. That is, minds are occupied first. This is an English method. You think you are formally free, but voluntary colonialism is being applied. I saw the English game there in a tremendous way. That is, the minds of both the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots there were occupied; they became admirers of the British. There were people who said, ‘We want to go to England at the first opportunity.’ They want to get British passports in such an admiring way, and when all this happens, there is a kind of Stockholm syndrome on one hand. Falling in love with your executioner… That is, the British made them fall in love with them.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, evaluating that the British did not interfere with the religious practices or ethnicity of the local population, but made them admire themselves through entertainment and art, said, “Something voluntary was done by praising themselves and making people admire them. This is colonialism… This is the method of mental occupation. The same method is currently being applied in Turkey. In Turkey, too, a group of people lives physically in Turkey but mentally like an Englishman, a Frenchman… Minds have been occupied. The next step beyond this is for Turkey to become like Cyprus.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan continued his evaluations on this subject as follows:
“It is necessary to modernize by preserving one's own culture and identity. Currently, the global system suggests modernization by changing one's identity. A person who has mentally bought into this idea feels physically free but is not spiritually and identifiably free. I am saying this because I saw a living example of it in Cyprus. It became a bad example in Cyprus. There were those who didn't think this way, but unfortunately, a significant majority in Cyprus was like this. A significant majority among the civilian population there was like this. When you went shopping, when you did something, we saw the English influence very strongly there. Those who were nationalistic remained in the minority there. Rauf Denktaş was one of those who tried to be nationalistic there. He was one of the limited number of people who succeeded in that. Therefore, for these reasons, Cyprus has, in my opinion, been a bad role model for Turkey. Cyprus is a very important case from which we must learn a lesson. As a historical event, we need to draw cultural inferences.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that people whose minds were occupied through psychological warfare in Cyprus were very easily occupied. He said, “If Turkey had not intervened, there would not be a single Turk left there now, or they would have completely changed. We cannot say that the same game is not being played in Turkey now. So, we must learn this lesson from there. This is one of the most important conclusions I drew from Cyprus. This is also one of my most important observations. Beyond this, of course, it is a heavenly and very beautiful place, from Karpaz to Erenköy.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, explaining that he saw Cyprus as drier now compared to that period, said that water was the most problematic issue in the region due to the mismanagement of water resources, and that Turkey provided a great service there by transporting water from the sea.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also pointed out some incidents and experiences he encountered in Cyprus during that period, and recounted his experiences of how he removed an insect that had entered a young woman's ear, and later, how a soldier's callus on his foot was removed with surgical intervention.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, emphasizing the professional and personal contributions of his experiences during his time in Cyprus, said, “I had taken many books with me when I went there. There were plenty of opportunities to read. Since it was a 24-hour shift, you were always together. We conducted polyclinics every day. Emergency patients arrived, and we took them to Kyrenia by ambulance.” He narrated his memories in this way.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, reminding that Turkey exercised all its rights under international law in Cyprus, said, “While I was there, the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus was declared. Later, it was declared as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. There is a saying from a Cypriot colleague. When asked, ‘Can you be friends with Greek Cypriots?’, he said, ‘We have a saying here: ‘You can't get fur from a pig, and you can't get a friend from a Greek Cypriot.’’ They had experienced that. They had suffered harm from Greek Cypriots and sought refuge with the British. The British pitted Greek Cypriots and Turks against each other. They provided refuge for themselves. It was such a game. This is a British game. When the British were mentioned, they wanted to finish school and go to England immediately. So, there was such an understanding, I saw that. Therefore, the youth raised in Northern Cyprus must definitely be educated not only with geographical nationalism but also with religious nationalism. Because a person without the feeling of martyrdom cannot protect their homeland. They would flee at the first opportunity.” He recounted.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also gave information on the subject of nationalism, saying, “Therefore, there is ethnic nationalism, geographical nationalism, and religious nationalism. These three must be together. If there is only ethnic nationalism, it becomes racism. If there is only geographical nationalism, it becomes a regional thing. If there is only religious nationalism, this time it implies something like religious racism. That can also lead to separate separatism. Therefore, there is a need for a cultural nationalism that unites all three. Policies that will ensure the participation of the people in that region in life, while preserving the region's own culture, need to be determined. The three forms of nationalism must be taught together. Love of homeland, love of nation, and love of religion. If you cannot teach these three loves to a society simultaneously, you will lose it.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, pointing out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to work much harder for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to be recognized worldwide, said, “It is no longer possible to sit down and talk or agree with the Greek Cypriots. They always demand concessions. For the political problem here to be resolved, there must also be demand from the people. With a people who send their children to the south, that place can be independent, but it cannot be free.” He concluded his words.
