KEYNOTE
SPEECH
BY
THE AMBASSADOR OF CYPRUS TO THE UNITED STATES,
MRS
ERATO KOZAKOU-MARCOULLIS,
AT
THE NINTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE
HELLENIC
AMERICAN WOMEN’S COUNCIL
WASHINGTON,
D.C., November 2, 2002
Dear friends,
It
is my great pleasure to be with all of you today.
Upon
my arrival to Washington four years ago, I had realized the important role
that HAWC was destined to play in the Greek American Community and beyond.
As a participant in the struggle for gender equality for more than two
decades, I immediately identified myself with the Council and I tried to
help their Mission as much as I could.
I
was struck from the beginning by the remarkable talent of all the members
of HAWC, made up of professionals from all walks of life and leaders in
their respective fields. I am very proud to be a member of HAWC and I
would urge all Hellenic American women to join and contribute their
talents towards achieving the noble objectives of HAWC.
I
wish to congratulate the founders of this organization and in particular
the always dynamic and energetic Theodora Hancock, who has always remained
the very soul and the power engine of HAWC. I also congratulate the
present leadership and all the members of HAWC, as well as the organizing
committee of today’s Conference for putting together a remarkable panel
and for once again projecting the fantastic abilities of women. Excellent
job.
The
theme of this year’s Conference was very timely and as we have seen from
the discussion it brought about a very vibrant exchange with many
important assessments and ideas. I will not try to sum up the discussion
because this has already been done at the Conference. Let me take, though,
this opportunity to congratulate all the speakers and the moderator for
the high quality of their presentations, as well as for the very
interesting discussion that followed. It reflected their vast experience
in international affairs and their knowledge about the respective regions.
On
the theme of the Conference I would like to add some of my own
reflections.
Since
9/11 there has been a lot of debate in this country and in many other
countries on this particular theme and on other similar ones, examining
the effectiveness of communicating messages to the world, how these
messages would best reach others
and why they sometimes are not received the way they were intended. We are
talking therefore about the role of public diplomacy, about the role of
the media, the role of communication, the way governments reach out to the
world and the effort they make so that their country’s image is viewed
in a favorable way.
The
literature written since 9/11 on the issue has been prolific and much
energy has been spent on identifying different obstacles and ways to
surpass them.
The
whole talk is also about understanding and tolerance, but also about
values and principles, about intercultural exchanges, cooperation between
religions and cultures or about clashes of civilizations. It is also
definitely about principles and whether they are applied uniformly or by
using different standards in different situations. And yes it is about
knowledge and about educating people about themselves and about others.
It
is indeed tragic that the world had to wait until the horrific attack on
9/11 to look into such an important issue and reflect on existing
problems. I do hope that this dialogue that has already started will
continue and will result in bringing governments and peoples closer
towards understanding one another and towards eliminating misperceptions
about one another.
Of
course in all these there is also a factor of fundamental differences on
policy and on domestic and international conduct. There are also
differences in the way that we look at issues and values and through what
kind of mirrors and what type of prisms we evaluate others who are
different from us.
This
is why understanding and tolerance, but also respect, trust and dialogue
are extremely important today more than ever before for building bridges
between countries and peoples, as well as for sharing ideas and nurturing
friendships.
But
my intention in not to discuss this very subject in relation to the United
States or any other country, but to point out in general how important it
is for every country to try to reach out to the rest of the world and
build bridges with other nations and peoples.
On
this issue of building bridges I now wish to turn briefly to Cyprus.
Cyprus
has always been a bridge between three continents. From ancient times
until now it has been the natural link between Europe, Asia and Africa. As
a result and because of this very strategic location it had the misfortune
to be conquered by different conquerors.
Today
after 42 years of independence, the young Republic of Cyprus has embarked
on a new journey to play again the important role of a bridge between
Europe and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa.
Very
soon Cyprus is going to officially join the European Union and be anchored
to Europe to which culturally, politically, economically and socially it
belongs.
Only
last week, on October 25th, the European Council that met in
Brussels endorsed the recent recommendations of the European Commission,
which identified Cyprus and 9 other candidate countries as ready to
conclude accession negotiations by this coming December, with a view to
signing the Accession Treaty in Athens (during the Greek Presidency) in
April 2003 and actually becoming a member on January 1st 2004.
The
enlargement process of the European Union has been a remarkable process so
far that has brought together former rivals and transformed them into
partners and allies, through common values and principles as well as a
common set of behavior.
This
process of enlargement will soon get even closer to its final destination,
which is the reunification of Europe after over 50 years of division and
mistrust. What was considered a few years ago unthinkable will soon be
achieved, with most of the central and eastern European countries,
becoming now an inseparable part of a free and democratic Europe.
This
reunification of the European continent will have positive effects on
other world situations because it would prove once again the therapeutic
effects that the accession process has had in solving differences and in
implementing common goals.
Cyprus,
which has been forcibly divided since 1974, as a result of the Turkish
invasion and the occupation of 37 percent of the island, looks forward to
membership to the European Union. It is our fervent aspiration to be able
to bring our country into the Union as a reunited country and people, so
that all the citizens of Cyprus, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots
alike, will be able to reap the fruits of this remarkable development.
For
this to happen it needs the drastic change of attitude of the Turkish side
and especially of the Turkish government. It needs turning the page to a
new relationship based on respect for the rule of law, based on respect
for UN Security Council resolutions.
So
far the attitude of Turkey towards Cyprus has been disappointing, to say
the least; complete disregard for the relevant UN resolutions, complete
affront to the principles of the UN Charter and to the code of conduct
governing international relations. Cyprus remains the last country in
Europe with an occupation army on its soil and its capital Nicosia remains
the only divided capital in the world. Very soon when Cyprus joins the EU
Turkey, an aspirant country for membership, will be in the paradoxical
situation of illegally occupying territory of the European Union.
The
intensified talks that have started this past January between the
President of Cyprus and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community have
led nowhere, primarily because of the insistence of the Turkish side on
totally unacceptable demands for two separate sovereign states.
Everyone
has been talking during the past few months for a window of opportunity
that exists from now until the final decision of the European Council in
Copenhagen on December 12. This opportunity if seized could really allow
Cyprus to fulfill a dream and a vision to the benefit of all its people.
What
is needed is for the new Turkish government that will emerge from this
Sunday’s elections, to take immediately some bold decisions that will
help open up the opportunities for her own accession process to the
European Union. The first set of decisions she has to make is about the
internal reforms and the issue of the protection of minorities in Turkey,
while the second one is clearly the Cyprus issue and Turkey’s
contribution to the efforts to find a settlement.
Turkey
needs to abandon its support for the intransigent positions of the Turkish
Cypriot leadership and to bring Mr. Denktash in line with the agreed
framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, that he himself had signed
and that the UN Security Council has endorsed. Turkey and the Turkish
Cypriot leadership need to show a constructive attitude that has been
missing for the past 28 years.
Such
a development should aim at having a positive outcome of the negotiations
by the December Copenhagen summit. Based on past experience, of course,
such likelihood is not probable, but it is not also unrealistic. It only
takes a leadership position on the part of the Turkish government to lead
the country and the Turkish people closer to Europe. To also allow the
Turkish Cypriot community, that has remained hostage to Turkish ambitions
and expansionist designs, to reunite with the Greek Cypriot community of
the island and together embark on a new common future for the benefit of
Cyprus and all its citizens.
This
is why the elections in Turkey tomorrow are extremely important for Turkey
but also for its neighbors, including for Cyprus. They will define the way
that Turkey will go in the 21st century and whether it is
willing and ready as a society to undergo all the necessary
transformations in its political and military structures that would allow
her to satisfy the strict political criteria for the start of accession
negotiations with the European Union.
They
will also show whether the new Turkish government would be courageous
enough to see the need to change an anachronistic policy on Cyprus that
has already cost her millions of dollars in military occupation and in the
total subsistence of an illegal regime and has caused a lot of pain and
suffering to both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
We
do hope that wisdom and principles will prevail during this very critical
period and that all those who can help will do so in order to converge all
efforts towards the common objective, the reunification of Cyprus.
Let
me conclude by returning back to the theme of this morning’s Conference,
which is all about dialogue and understanding about building bridges and
tolerance. Through reunification and accession to the European Union
Cyprus can become the model of coexistence of two major religions,
Christianity and Islam. Cyprus can become the real and solid bridge
between Europe and the West with the Middle East. Cyprus can become the
positive sum game in a new relationship on the island, in the region and
beyond. It can become the newest success story of the European Union that
was created out of the ashes of a World War and was intended to bring
former enemies together in a new partnership based on common principles
and values.
This
vision for Cyprus is within reach and can be materialized. I urge all of
you to keep up the hope, but most of all to keep up the struggle to make
this vision a reality, for the benefit of peace, for the benefit of
coexistence and prosperity.