Peace in Pieces_Lal

P e a c e in Pieces BY:ZEYNEP LAL CELIKBILEK

“Cyprus Country Profile.” Http://Www.bbc.com/News/World­Europe­ 17217956#Share­Tools, ichef­ 1.bbci.co.uk/news/304/media/images/59024000/gif/_59024425_cyprusii. gif.

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I dedicate this to my grandma and the memories of the killed Turkish and Greek Cypriots.

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Table of Contents ­ About the Author ­ Historical Narrative Packet

Page 4 Pages 5­7

­ Historical Narrative

Pages 7­8

­ Afterward

Page 10­11

­ Citations

Pages 12­13

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About the author

Zeynep Lal Celikbilek is 12. She is Turkish American. She lives in Istanbul and is a student at IICS. She loves art and sports. She is a licensed tennis player and skier.

She loves to play the flute.

She will never stop watching cartoons. She is a real animal lover, she has a dog and a cat.

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1970s .… The years that we were following the events in Cyprus with excitement and fear.

We were experiencing events which caused pain and concern. We were listening to the news of Turks killed by the Greeks everyday. The bad news from Cyprus was dropping from our tv like bombs.

We were in Giresun because of my husband’s job. Giresun is on the coast of the Black Sea and famous for its nuts and nature. There was just one street between our home and the sea. Watching people on the sidewalk was like watching a fashion show.

Bell bottoms, colorful headbands, platform shoes. Were people much more careful about their clothes in the 70s?

20th of July, 1974 was an ordinary summer like the others. (TRT) Turkish Radio Television had just started broadcasting. It opened with the national anthem in the evenings and ended again with the national anthem at midnight. In television broadcasting hours, life stopped, nobody was in the streets and everybody was looking at the anchorman carefully.

The top of the army, the general was having meetings with government continuously. We were watching to see whether a war decision could be taken with excitement. We came together at my house with a few friends. While I was looking from the window to get some cool fresh summer air, I flinched at friend’s voice.

She Said “It was 19:00, switch on the TV.” When we switched on the massive black and white tv located almost at the middle of the living room, news had just started. The household was calling each other urgently.

Empty places were filled immediately.

The sky was filled with Turkish parachutes on tv screen.

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I was trying to convince myself that this had to happen by remembering the massacres.

Makarios on the top of the Cyprus Republic, established a terrorist organization called EOKA and EOKA started to make bloody actions in order that the island would be cleared from Turks and connect to When the prime minister Ecevit made a Greece. The villages, cities that statement, whisper between us was cut Turks lived, were emptied. the silence like a knife. Ecevit seemed calm. It was the first time they called a war as a peace operation.

They didn’t kill only the Turkish Cypriots, but also Greek Cypriots that didn’t want the island to connect It was the first war that I will have to greece. Because of this reason, witnessed in my life so far.

Ecevit said they were going to the There was no peace in the “Heaven island not only for the Turks, but also island” since the 1960s. Cyprus was a Greeks for peace in the island. tired island, because of the invasions I remember very clearly the scenes through the history. How long this war that the parachutes landed in the would last? How it would end? beautiful island. They didn’t suit to Would the Greeks attack Turkey? the dreamful coast, but unfortunately Tons of questions were passing through they were real. my mind.

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AFTERWORD Cyprus Peace Operation ended on the 14th of August, 1974 by Turks entering the capital city, Nicosia. The Turkish army was greeted with great enthusiasm there. Cyprus was divided into two parts, Greek Cypriots in the South and the Turkish Cypriots in the North.

In 1975, the Cyprus Turkish Federated State was founded. In 1983, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was founded. None of the UN member states recognise TRNC except for Turkey. 1672 Turks and Cyprus Turks died and there were thousands wounded. 4000 Greeks died and 12000 wounded were there. 35 thousand­40 thousand Turkish soldiers settled down in the North of the island. In the middle of the island, buffer zone was formed (Varosha) After the operation, USA received an embargo decision on Turkey. Economically hard days started.

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The Turks were saying that they use the rights Zurich Treaty gave. But Cyprus Republic and United Nations were describing it as an invasion. So Cyprus is still in the “unresolved subject” category.

While my grandmother was telling, I saw more sadness and tears in her eyes and I felt that she didn’t tell the whole story not to hurt me. Now, I understand more about why she insisted on seeing mass graves and her tears on a Cyprus holiday that we went with my grandma. It was the first time she had mentioned to me from her archives about Cyprus Operation. This operation wasn’t successful about making peace between the two sides, but it enabled to stop the bloodshed and it was a consolation for the witness of those days like my grandma.

Varosha (Ghost town) still couldn’t be solved like a symbol of war and conflicts. It seems like time has stopped after 1974 morning.

Clothes still hanging in closets…. The tables prepared and remained, waiting for their families….

Didn’t evoke a feeling in me apart from surprise and fear at those times. Yet right now for me Varosha is like an open air museum that proves the evil of war.

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Citations “1970'Lerin Türkiyesi, Nasıldı? [ How Was Turkey in 1970?].” Radikal, 27 Dec. 2010, www.radikal.com.tr/turkiye/1970lerin­turkiyesi­nasildi­ 1034163/.

“Cyprus Country Profile.”

Http://Www.bbc.com/News/World­Europe­ 17217956#Share­Tools, ichef­ 1.bbci.co.uk/news/304/media/images/59024000/gif/_59024 425_cyprusii.gif.

“Educational­ Resources .” Http://Cyprusfriendship.org/? page_id=3035, d2oadd98wnjs7n.cloudfront.net/file_attachments/152493/fil es/20131024104819­Map_cropped_edited.jpg?

1382636899.

“Educational Resources.” Cyprus Friendship Program, 27 Oct. 2016, cyprusfriendship.org/?page_id=3035. @Haberturk. “Kıbrıs Barış Harekâtı | Tarihte Bugün Haberleri [Cyprus War| Histories News Today].”

Www.haberturk.com, Habertürk, 24 July 2014, www.haberturk.com/tarihte­bugun/haber/972325­kibris­ baris­harekati.

“Mili­Ciddi Adimlar.” Millici­Ciddiadamlar, images.google.com.tr/imgres? imgurl=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_xONiVQv 276I%2FTN8C0O0LxaI%2FAAAAAAAAEAY%2FBm4gxTv hYCg%2Fs1600%2F098c171eb7274d01bfd77ab6b2e4760 2_1272964294.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmillici­ ciddiadamlar.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fkod­ adibozkurt­bir­cilgin­turk­ kemal.html&docid=5XDTNYUSMySBcM&tbnid=OuDDe3o VmWkb5M%3A&vet=1&w=600&h=386&hl=en­ tr&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim.

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“Ilk Harekat.” Onediyo, onedio.com/haber/42­yilinda­ unutulmayan­mudahale­kibris­baris­harekati­nin­onemi­ve­ sonuclari­721694? utm_source=whatsapp&utm_campaign=42.%20Y%C4%B1l%C4 %B1nda%20Unutulmayan%20M%C3%BCdahale%20%27K%C4 %B1br%C4%B1s%20Bar%C4%B1%C5%9F%20Harekat%C4% B1%27n%C4%B1n%20%C3%96nemi%20ve%20Sonu%C3%A7l ar%C4%B1&utm_medium=tweet.

“Listelist.” Listelist, listelist.com. News, BBC. “Cyprus Country Profile.” BBC News, www.bbc.com/news/world­europe­ 17217956.

Tarihidegistirenler. “Ecevit Kıbrıs Barış Harekatını Ilan Ediyor!.Webm.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrDQW66jWoo. Tarihidegistirenler. “Ecevit Kıbrıs Barış Harekatını Ilan Ediyor!.Webm.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrDQW66jWoo. TestTubeNetwork. “Why Greece And Turkey Are Fighting Over Cyprus.” YouTube, YouTube, 6 May 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNFrirHgRQY. Turkgenclikkulubu. “20 Temmuz 1974 Kıbrıs Barış Harekatı (2).”

YouTube, YouTube, 16 June 2010, www.youtube.com/watch? v=NVLh3_OX92E. Turkiyegazetesi.com.tr. “Kıbrıs Barış Harekatı Neden Yapıldı? İşte Tüm Detayları.” Turkiyegazetesi.com.tr, Türkiye Gazetesi, 12 May 2014, www.turkiyegazetesi.com.tr/gundem/155803.aspx. www.quora.com/Why­did­Turkey­invade­Cyprus­in­1974­and­ create­the­Northern­Cyprus­republic+.

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