Turkish resistance organization

The Turkish Resistance Organization ( Turkish: Türk Mukavemet Teşkilatı , TMT) was a Turkish-Cypriot paramilitary organization that campaigned primarily for the partition of Cyprus between 1958 and 1974 . It was founded to counteract the Cyprus-Greek EOKA .

founding

The Greek Cyprus paramilitary organization EOKA launched anti-British activities for an enosis , a connection between the island and Greece . This caused a " Crete Syndrome" on the part of the Cypriot Turks. They feared that in this case they would be forced to leave the island, as was the case with the Crete Turks . They preferred a continuation of British colonial rule for a later Taksim , a division of the island. Because of the support of the British by the Cypriot Turks, Georgios Grivas declared them an enemy.

The first Cypriot Turkish underground organization to resist Enosis was Volkan. This organization was founded in 1956 or, depending on the sources, as early as September 1955 with the alleged support of the British colonial administration. Roni Alasor, however, claims that the organization and structure were established in Yenişehir, Ankara as early as 1950 . During this time, other resistance organizations were founded, such as the Turkish KİTEM, the September 9th Front or Kara Çete ("Black Troopers"), which allegedly had support from Fazıl Küçük . However, this turned out to be unsuccessful and joined the Volkan.

The exact date the TMT was founded varies in several sources. The dates given are November 15 or 23, 1957. Rauf Denktaş claims that the organization was founded on November 27. The establishment took place in the house of Kemal Tanrıverdi in Nicosia , the Turkish-Cypriot attaché of the Turkish embassy. The founding declaration, which called on the members of all Cypriot Turkish resistance organizations to regroup under the TMT, was printed on November 26, 1957 in the Lefkoşa Türk Lisesi (Turkish University of Nicosia). At first it only had about 100 members.

The TMT was initially formed as a local initiative with the aim of sensitizing Turkey to the Cyprus question and the military training and supply of the Cypriot Turkish fighters. However, its leaders were aware that such an organization would not be successful without Turkish support. On January 2, 1958, Denktaş and Küçük flew to Ankara to talk to Fatin Rüştü Zorlu . In the conversation, Zorlu asked them if they were able to receive weapons sent from Turkey, and Denktaş replied positively, after which Zorlu raised the question of the attention of the Chief of Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces . After several months of deliberation, Turkey decided to support the organization on condition that Turkish support be kept secret. Daniş Karabelen was commissioned to organize the establishment of the TMT.

structure

Members of the TMT were referred to as mujahideen ( mucahit in Turkish ). The members communicated by radio. The honorary leader of the TMT was Fatin Rüştü Zorlu .

General Daniş Karabelen, responsible for non-conventional warfare in Turkey, led the attacks against Greek Cypriot units. Turkey sent Turkish officers and veterans from special forces to Cyprus in the 1950s to train Cypriot Turks in non-conventional warfare tactics. They posed as bankers, teachers and business people.

ideology

The TMT was an ethno-nationalist organization with a right-wing, revolutionary stance. Harry Anastasiou called their ideology a clear expression of Turkish nationalism .

Resistance to enosis

In response to the growing demands for the enosis (the island's annexation to Greece), some Turkish Cypriots believed that forming an ethnic Turkish resistance movement was the only way to protect the interests and identity of the Turkish Cypriot population against a militant Greek Cypriot threat to represent. The TMT used symbols of the gray wolves , a symbol of Turkish nationalism in motherland Turkey. The organization went public on November 29, 1957 when they were distributing leaflets in major cities in Cyprus.

Intention to divide

The TMT was mainly active between 1958 and 1974 and called for the island to be divided . TMT claimed their efforts were only responses to threats to their community from EOKA and, after 1963, the Cypriot government. The government is under the exclusive control of the Cypriot Greeks and does not represent the Cypriot Turks.

The activities of the TMT in 1963/64 are referred to by Greek nationalists as Tourkantarsia (Turkish mutiny).

Crime allegations

The Cypriot-Turkish journalist Şener Levent claimed, based on an interview with a former TMT commandant, that it is possible that the well-known bathtub picture shows Greek Cypriots killed by the TMT and not, as claimed, the family of Major Nihat İlhan. He also claims that TMT also repositioned the bodies to make the photographs "effective" and that many of the photos were taken after the massacre. However, this is an unsubstantiated claim.

Reshaping

After the invasion of the Turkish armed forces in 1974, on August 1, 1976, the Turkish Resistance Organization was transformed into the armed forces of the Turkish Federal State of Cyprus and later to the present armed forces of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus .

Individual evidence

↑ Martin Seifert: The styles of mediation in the Cyprus conflict: The relevance of context, mandate and ... Disserta Verlag, 2015, ISBN 978-3-95935-064-8 , p. 9 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c Daria Isachenko: The Making of Informal States: Statebuilding in Northern Cyprus and Transdniestria . Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, ISBN 978-0-230-39206-9 , pp. 38–39 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed February 28, 2015]).
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Emircan, Mehmet Salih. Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti'nde Tören, Bayram ve Anma Günleri , pp. 80–95.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Roni Alasor: Sifreli Mesaj: “Trene bindir!” . ISBN 960-03-3260-6 .
↑ ^a ^b Erdinç Gündüz: 1 Ağustos ve TMT . Kıbrıs Postası (Turkish, kibrispostasi.com [accessed February 28, 2015]).
^ ^A ^b Matthew Lange: Educations in Ethnic Violence: Identity, Educational Bubbles, and Resource Mobilization . Cambridge University Press, 2011, ISBN 978-1-139-50544-4 , pp. 91 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed February 28, 2015]).
^ Harry Anastasiou: The Broken Olive Branch: Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict and the Quest for Peace in Cyprus . AuthorHouse, 2006, ISBN 978-1-4259-4360-8 , pp. 23 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed February 28, 2015]).
↑ http://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/story33.html
↑ Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert, Alexandra Bounia: War Museum and Photography . University of Leicester, Museum and Society, 10 (3), 2012, pp. 185-186 .

[1] Martin Seifert: The styles of mediation in the Cyprus conflict: The relevance of context, mandate and ... Disserta Verlag, 2015, ISBN 978-3-95935-064-8 , p. 9 .

[daria1-2] Daria Isachenko: The Making of Informal States: Statebuilding in Northern Cyprus and Transdniestria . Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, ISBN 978-0-230-39206-9 , pp. 38–39 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed February 28, 2015]).

[emircan-3] Emircan, Mehmet Salih. Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti'nde Tören, Bayram ve Anma Günleri , pp. 80–95.

[ReferenceA-4] Roni Alasor: Sifreli Mesaj: “Trene bindir!” . ISBN 960-03-3260-6 .

[gunduz-5] Erdinç Gündüz: 1 Ağustos ve TMT . Kıbrıs Postası (Turkish, kibrispostasi.com [accessed February 28, 2015]).

[lange-6] A ^b Matthew Lange: Educations in Ethnic Violence: Identity, Educational Bubbles, and Resource Mobilization . Cambridge University Press, 2011, ISBN 978-1-139-50544-4 , pp. 91 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed February 28, 2015]).

[7] Harry Anastasiou: The Broken Olive Branch: Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict and the Quest for Peace in Cyprus . AuthorHouse, 2006, ISBN 978-1-4259-4360-8 , pp. 23 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed February 28, 2015]).

[8] ttp://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/story33.html

[9] Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert, Alexandra Bounia: War Museum and Photography . University of Leicester, Museum and Society, 10 (3), 2012, pp. 185-186 .