Oz Karahan: The Only Solution Is A Unitary, Secular, Pluralistic Republic of Cyprus.

Oz Karahan campaigns for a unitary, secular, democratic and pluralistic Republic of Cyprus and advocates for international solidarity and participation in electoral processes alongside other progressive formations in the Republic of Cyprus, based on common principles.

• Dinos Toumazos

Oz’s concerns are about the future of the Republic of Cyprus and his core principle is that under the Turkish colonization, national liberation is a prerequisite for any democratic or class struggle.

Hence, adopting the principle of “National Liberation First”, Oz believes in the “United Front” concept and collaborates with other political fronts based on the principles of the Liberation Struggle.

• Ο Οζ Καραχάν με κίνδυνο της ζωής του στην καρδιά της κατεχόμενης Κερύνειας

During the 2019 European Parliament elections, Oz and other likeminded and progressive citizens, formed a common list named “Jasmine Movement,” which included Cypriot journalist Sener Levent, a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus living in the Turkish-occupied part, who was awarded the European Citizen’s Prize in 2018 by the European Parliament and has received a one-year prison sentence from a Turkish court for insulting the Turkish President in a cartoon published in the Turkish Cypriot newspaper ‘Avrupa’ (2017).

Oz is collaborating with the Green Party for the European Parliament and municipal elections scheduled for June 2024.

In 2023, to mark the 49th anniversary of the Turkish occupation of the Northen part of the Republic of Cyprus, Oz Karahan supported the ”Declaration of Pan-Cyprian Mobilization for the Freedom of Cyprus”, a citizens’ initiative that established basic principles for the roadmap to the Republic of Cyprus’ liberation and he is in the process of jointing a campaign to mark the 50th anniversary of the Turkish occupation.

Given the developments in Palestine, Yemen and other countries around the globe, Oz Karahan steadfastly declared his support for the resistance against the imperialist states.

He consistently extends his support to all anti-imperialist movements through the political networks to which he is connected and on the international stage, he voices the same sentiment and as we enter the multipolar world once again, as we are ushered into a new era of anti-imperialism.

Given the complex relationships among states, the early stages of this multipolar world may render the establishment of a new Non-Aligned Movement unlikely.

However, people’s movements around the world must act swiftly to forge international alliances more effectively and establish new regional cooperations.

Oz Karahan stands within and among many international alliances and repeats tirelessly :

• In the recent years have witnessed catastrophic events for Cyprus, proving once again that our concerns were justified.
• Our island is being exploited by its occupiers, who have caused pain to our people and are now using it as an aircraft carrier to inflict pain on our neighboring peoples.
• There can never be a permanent solution to settler colonialism and illegal immigration as long as the occupation continues.
• We can never achieve a green island if we cannot even protect Pentadaktylos, which we see every day from the free area.
• The political elite in the free areas are also contributing to making our island unlivable.
• Corruption, kleptocracy, and nepotism are coming from the political elite who base their careers on the continuation of the status quo.
• We aim to educate the Cypriot public about the realities in the occupied territories, despite the political elite’s efforts to suppress this awareness.
• Cyprus isn’t divided but occupied, and liberation is the only solution.
• Many propose imported solutions to these problems, which will never be effective.
• We must foster collaboration among movements in the region — including Cypriots, Greeks, Palestinians, Kurds, Armenians, and others — to establish common principles for freedom.
• We must have a strategy to facilitate political and legal institutions in Europe in the struggle for the liberation of our Cyprus.
• The European Parliament is just one of the tools to fight against all this, a tool that almost none of our previous representatives have used effectively to challenge the status quo.
• This struggle is important because it is the only way for Cypriots to continue to exist in their homeland.
• Freedom will only be achieved in this land when our people understand that Cyprus is their only homeland, their soil and roots, and that they will never find peace anywhere in the world.
• Settler colonialism is a system of power that perpetuates the genocide and repression of indigenous existence.
• For any political entity to genuinely address settler colonialism in Cyprus, it must base its policies on the rights of all indigenous Cypriot people.
• The only potential solution for Cypriots is to establish a unitary, secular, and pluralistic state.
• Territorial integrity of a country can only be guaranteed through social integrity.
• We will never have peace as long as the occupiers chain us and use our land to spread imperialist terror throughout the region.
• Our demographic structure has been under attack due to Turkish settler colonialism.
• We have seen Turkey weaponizing refugees from other countries.
• Environmental destruction is severe in the occupied areas of our island.
• With the Green Party of Cyprus, we have developed a strategy to use this tool for the good of our people, the people of Europe, and those in our region.
• Political fronts and individuals advocating for any kind of federation lack any real intention to confront settler colonialism, as their goal is to perpetuate an ethnically segregated Cyprus and indirectly become a tool to legitimize the Turkish presence on the island in the eyes of the international community.
• Another focus is on providing support and solidarity to Cypriots who became targets of illegal settlers, including the 2018 attacks on the Avrupa/Afrika newspaper among other cases.
• There needs to be closer cooperation between Cypriot and Greek peoples and movements.
• However, for this cooperation to have a meaningful impact, it is crucial to identify its foundational principles.
• Given the distinct socio-political dynamics of both countries and the prevalence of miseducation about each other’s issues, it is clear that the boundaries of this cooperation should be wide.
• In this collaboration, instead of relying on romanticized terminology and outdated concepts, a rational approach is necessary.
• This has never been attempted before.
• When we discuss geopolitics, we often find ourselves quick to assign blame to others.
• However, another reality is that even occupations can create a comfort zone for some.
• This is evident from the political elite at the top, down to the ordinary Cypriot who travels to the occupied areas to fill their car’s gas tank – each serving as symbolic examples of this phenomenon.
• The drive to be part of another state and opening the back door to the Turkish occupation in the 1970s, or selling Golden Passports in the 2010s, stems from the same mentality that views Cyprus not as a true “homeland” but as a kind of “frontier” of some other place, or a “foster homeland” that can be easily commodified.

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