The British newspaper "The Times" talks about a settlement occupied by Kurds who cooperate with Greek Cypriot prisoners. The article signed by Hannah Lucinda Smith with the title "Turkish annoyance hits the Greeks of northern Cyprus, but they have found an ally among the Kurdish settlers" initially notes that there is no way Rizokarpaso can get rid of Erdogan's presence as the village school and the street that crosses the center got its name.
Evangelia Mikeli, the only Greek owner of the town, whose cafe "looks at Recep Tayyip Erdogan Avenue, sees Erdogan's presence with concern."
The article refers to the results of the Tatar election in the leadership of the pseudo-state, noting that some of the most obvious effects appeared in Rizokarpaso.
After 1974, "the Greek-speaking republic joined the EU, while the North declared its sovereignty in 1983, but remains recognized only by Ankara, with 30.000 Turkish soldiers still there."
"The Greeks of Rizokarpaso stayed, but within the decades most of the young people left. The vast majority of those who survive survive on welfare payments and weekly food and fuel parcels from the south. Their number has been reduced from about 4.000 to 250 "
The Turkish settlers from the mainland now surpass the Greek-speakers by a ratio of 10 to one. "Encouraged by Ankara, tens of thousands of inland Turks have settled in the north since the 1970s. The city is decorated with Turkish posters and photographs of Mr Erdogan."
Ms. Mikelli found accommodation with her neighbors. Its customers come from all communities. "It took a while for people to get used to my work," he said. "Then I started serving alcohol and he was caught."
Other settlers in the town, the Times reports, are Kurds who escaped repression in Turkey. The cafeteria across the street is run by 27-year-old Umit Guner, whose family left Mus, a Kurdish town in eastern Turkey. He says there is a similarity between the Kurds and the Greeks.
"For jobs we are both at the bottom of the list," Guner said. "A Greek operated this place before and the Turks did not pay. So I made an agreement with the priest that I will operate the space and we share the profits. The Greeks and we know that it is just a game ".
Source: Sigmalive