Turkish opposition political party CHP leader Ozgur Ozel on Thursday evening said the north is not a “baby homeland”, but in fact a “sister country”.
Ozel was speaking at late Cyprus Vice President Dr Fazil Kucuk’s tomb after his arrival in the north to take part in celebrations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of the island.
The term “baby homeland” is often used by Turkish politicians and commentators to refer to the north, with more nationalist Turkish Cypriot politicians returning the favour and referring to Turkey as their “motherland”.
The north’s ‘foreign minister’ Tahsin Ertugruloglu is a frequent user of the terms, while others, including ‘deputy prime minister’ Fikri Ataoglu, and on occasion Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, have employed them.
However, the terms have long been unpopular among the progressive wing of Turkish Cypriot politics, and their use was the first source of dispute between former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the former’s election in 2015.
Akinci had said in his victory speech that “the relationship with Turkey, that of a motherland and a baby homeland, must end”, and had told the BBC before that year’s election that “it is time to put aside the narrative of a mother and a child, which has been abused for years, and establish a sibling relationship.”
Erdogan was less than enthused, however, and issued a swift rebuttal.
“When you say ‘we are two sister countries’, very different pictures emerge. [Akinci] needs to hear what he is saying. There is a miraculous reason why Turkey has been taking ownership of North Cyprus until now. There is no need to talk about it. Even working as siblings undoubtedly has certain conditions,” he said.
He added, “working as a baby homeland also has a price. This country has paid a price to North Cyprus and continues to pay this price. We have given martyrs. Why? These steps have been taken because the baby homeland requires that we pay a price.”
Nine years on, however, it is now a Turkish politician who is openly willing to reopen the subject, and, despite the fact that the CHP historically has and still does wear the fact that it was the party of government in 1974 as a badge of honour, Ozel’s tone on Thursday was more conciliatory.
“If there is a place which needs normalisation more than Turkey, it is Cyprus. Because here, all parties need to pull in the same direction … The reduction of tension in Cyprus is also of great benefit for the common interests and just cause of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriots, and I was very pleased to hear this. We will continue to contribute to Cyprus,” he said.
