To slander the Turkish armed forces, distorting and politicizing historical events and turning the institutions of the European Parliament into tools of Greek Cypriot propaganda,” the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In a written statement regarding the FEMM Committee’s approval of funding for a memorial honoring women and girls who suffered sexual violence during the Turkish invasion of July 1,1974, Ankara also refers to a “peacekeeping operation” that prevented the “extermination of the Turkish Cypriot people” and “brought peace to the island for over half a century.”
“We call on EU officials not to become tools of those who aim to push Turkey away from the EU with every step they take.”
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
SEE ALSO: Monument to Women Raped by Attila Funded by the European Commission and Nicosia
The EPP and DISY MEP and rapporteur for the proposal to fund the monument through the European Parliament has issued a written statement in response to the claims made by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign AffairsLoukas Fourlas
“The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs took offense because the European Parliament decided to fund the construction of a monument in Cyprus, in honor of the women and girls who suffered sexual violence during the 1974 Turkish invasion. It was upset because 52 years of silence have been broken. We will not ask Ankara for permission to honor the victims of the Turkish army’s atrocities. And we will not ask anyone’s permission to restore the memory of those who, for decades, were forced to bear their pain in silence. I submitted the amendment regarding the European Union’s funding of the memorial precisely so that this dark chapter of the Turkish invasion would not remain buried. This is the second time I have been compelled to respond to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding what we achieved in the European Parliament, so that these women are not left without justice. The memorial is not propaganda, as Turkey claims. Remembrance is not propaganda. The victims’ testimonies are not propaganda. The truth is not propaganda. Propaganda is attempting to erase from history the crimes you have committed. Propaganda is calling a military invasion—which left behind the dead, the missing, refugees, people trapped, occupied territories, and victims of sexual violence. And it is, at the very least, provocative for Turkey to speak of “justice” and “neutrality” when it continues to deny its occupation of European territory. Now, the European Parliament has spoken. Europe has spoken. Turkey may continue to protest. It may continue to attack European institutions. We will continue to remind them of the war crimes they have committed. And we will be here. To vindicate the victims. To honor the women. To defend the historical truth, as we promised. And for me, that promise was a lifelong vow.”
