[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13491]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE 36TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TURKISH OCCUPATION OF CYPRUS

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                          HON. SHELLEY BERKLEY

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 20, 2010

  Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate once again the 
anniversary of Turkey's illegal invasion and occupation of Cyprus, 
beginning in 1974, lasting up to the present time. The division of 
Cyprus has wreaked havoc on the island nation and left its Turkish-
occupied section in disarray. It is cruel that the Cypriot people 
should continue to be subjected to this conflict.
  This anniversary is particularly troubling, given Turkey's role in 
recent events in the Mediterranean. In May, the Turkish government 
supported a flotilla of boats attempting to run Israel's blockade of 
Gaza. Those so-called ``peace activists'' attacked the Israeli soldiers 
with bats, clubs and bricks, demonstrating their real intent: to harm 
Israel, rather than to help the people of Gaza.
  In the aftermath of these events, Turkey had the audacity to 
criticize Israel's behavior toward Gaza, as though they themselves had 
``clean hands.'' Before they criticize Israel, the world must remember 
that Turkey has occupied and continues to occupy Cyprus, for no 
apparent reason, other than to increase their own sphere of influence 
in the region.
  I hope Turkey will do in Cyprus as Israel did in Gaza: remove their 
troops and grant the people there a chance to govern themselves, 
without foreign interference. Unfortunately, the people of Gaza turned 
to violence rather than peaceful coexistence with their-neighbor. By 
contrast, I believe the people of Cyprus are truly ready for peace, as 
has been demonstrated by the millions of incident-free crossings 
between the two sides. It is time for Turkey to remove their troops 
from Cyprus. That way, the Cypriots--and the Cypriots alone--can make 
the decisions affecting their future.

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