Philosophy

We promote a civil society based on the guarantee of the right to a private life and the rights of the individual in society. We demand the right to exercise fundamental human rights, including the rights of freedom, free-will and equality. For us the rule of law is a fundamental prerequisite together with respect for international law in general and European law in specific and their immediate application in Cyprus. As an ad-hoc group of around thirty volunteers of all ages, backgrounds and professions, we have been meeting for over ten years at various locations on both sides of the island. We generally meet in cafes and restaurants as well as offices of political parties and mass organisations.

During our meeting we try to focus on the main issues facing Cypriots: the continuing military occupation by Turkey and the impact this has on the rights of the Cypriot people. The presence of the Turkish military forces in the northern part of the island has enabled policy of colonisation by settlers from mainland Turkey and consequently there has been an evident exodus of Turkish-speaking Cypriots, particularly amongst its youth emigrating overseas at an alarming rate.   

The overwhelming ratio of Turkish mainland settlers together with their absolute void of a concept of civil society that is also convenient for the occupation regime, systematically denies the possibility to create local conditions that are conducive for civil society for the Turkish-speaking Cypriots that are evaporating into a very small minority. Approximately only 70-80,000 Turkish-speaking Cypriots remain in Cyprus from a figure of around 120,000 before the events of 1974. 

The forcible separation of Turkish and Greek speaking Cypriots by the Turkish military occupation forces denies the fundamental right of all Cypriots to live together. Consequently, this project aims to provide media information for our community and by raising civil society awareness, restore the togetherness of Cypriot people so that they can, by themselves, create and develop free and democratic conditions for a civil society.

The political processes of the United Nations have not brought any results to the island of Cyprus. Not a single United Nations resolution has been implemented. The internal political processes are divisive and have proved incapable of bringing Cypriots together by their own definitions: the political processes inside Cyprus were conducive to the external forces’ actions during the catastrophic events during and after 1974.

Cypriots generally, but especially those in the occupied area of Cyprus are unaware of the role of civil society. Civil society offers the basis for Cypriots to join together to demand and exercise their basic rights, both fundamental and private.

Cypriots need forums and community centres where they can meet and re-live their shared history and culture for a common future based on the concepts and actions of a civil society that embraces all Cypriots.