Istanbul and the Grand Bazaar

Three of us traveled to Istanbul for a few days of learning about the Cyprus problem from the Turkish perspective. We wanted to get a feeling of how the common Turk thinks about the issue. In the Grand Bazaar I met up with several shoppers as well as shop owners. Tayfun, who has a degree from a Turkish technical university was very direct in his statements...Cyprus is not JUST Greek, but it has long been a land of multiple peoples and one that needs to respect that. He supports the existence of the TRNC but also supports the ongoing talks for unification, but only if the Turkish Cypriots remain protected and also distinct. He fears the Greek Cypriot intentions..."why else would they, an independent country, with membership in the EU, continue to fly the Greek flag when they are a sovereign nation." His companion, who wished to remain anonymous, wanted to know if enosis is still an objective. "If they are Cypriots, then they need to act like it and remove the presence of Greece." When asked about the presence of Turkey, he demurred a bit, only to say that the Turkish Cypriots still need protection and nobody else has given them sovereign recognition. All very complex. We will see next how others feel in tomorrow's post.