Dec 21, 2023.
Posted by Balkan
Periscope - Hellas
British MP
Sammy Wilson in his article on December 19, 2023 published in Reaction supports
the Turkish positions for the definitive separation of the island of Cyprus and
the recognition of the part occupied by the Turkish army as an 'independent
state'.
Turkish
publications reported extensively on the positions expressed by the British
politician.
The article
is titled: “After failure in the Middle East, the West must
realise the danger of unresolved conflict”
The article:
At the end
of the Cold War, many people decided to believe that the world had moved on
from real conflict. That Western ideology and capitalism had been proved
correct which would lead to the world becoming more peaceful and tolerant. War
would be a thing of the past and division would die out.
Events have
proved that was a naïve and overly optimistic worldview. It led the West to
ignore problems, crises and potential flashpoints that should never have been
overlooked. This has consistently led to disaster. Disaster that, on many
occasions, could have been prevented.
In early
October, terrorists once again attacked Israel. Hamas, backed by several
regional powers has an explicit goal of exterminating Israel from the map. This
is a conflict that has raged on for nearly 70 years and sadly shows no sign of
a permanent resolution. The West has failed to truly engage with this conflict.
Now, civilians are suffering as a result of this lassitude.
All around
the world, there are clear examples of where conflict has not been resolved,
tensions and differences have festered resulting in fresh outbreaks of
violence. We can look at the ongoing border skirmishes in the Kashmir region
between India and Pakistan or the nearby Indian-Chinese border in Sikkim.
In Africa,
there are constant outbreaks of violence between governments and petty
warlords. Between rival ethnic, tribal and religious groups. Earlier this year,
war once again broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed
territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Closer to
home, Kosovo remains an unresolved dispute in Europe. UN peacekeepers are still
on the ground, doing their best to ensure that outright war does not break out
again. The situation in Kosovo is remarkably similar to another frozen conflict
in Europe – that of Cyprus.
Cyprus also
has UN peacekeepers maintaining a barrier between the two rival authorities
that represent different ethnic groups. However, unlike in Kosovo – where the
breakaway state has been largely recognised by the international community, the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus remains isolated in its rejection.
It is time
that the West no longer ignores frozen conflicts. Instability helps no one and
is one of the worse outcomes for civilians as they know that fresh violence
could break out at any point.
I see no
reason why the UK does not recognise the TRNC as a legitimate authority for the
Turkish Cypriot population. Indeed, I would argue that they represent a good
partner for the UK because unlike the Greek Cypriot population, they have never
targeted or campaigned against our Sovereign Military bases on the island.
These SBAs
are a crucial part of the UK’s international capabilities and have proved vital
in recent years in creating no-fly zones in the Middle East and carrying out
operations against terrorist groups like ISIS.
Conflict
should never be ignored. I am Northern Irish, and I am British. I know better
than most the scars that intercommunal violence can create and the lasting
scars of violence between different religious groups. However, lasting
peace is possible.
There is a
solution that will end the Cyprus issue once and for all. That is a two-state
solution with treaties between the two sides that foster cooperation. Such a
solution has worked before in Ireland and can work again in Cyprus.
Sammy
Wilson has been the Democratic Unionist Party MP for East Antrim since 2005 and
was formerly Northern Ireland’s finance minister.
reaction.life
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