This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, an appalling milestone which serves as a reminder that the ongoing occupation of more than one third of Cyprus has been ongoing for far too long.
To mark this sombre occasion the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne & Victoria has collaborated with ΣEKA Victoria and the Cyprus Community of Melbourne & Victoria—all three are committed members of the 50th Year Action Group—to present a group of lectures on aspects of the “Cyprus Issue”.
The “live” lecture sessions begin at 7:00 pm, and are held at the Mezzanine Level of the Greek Centre (168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne). There will be two speakers at each session, and each speaker will be allotted 25 minutes. An opportunity to ask questions will follow.
However, the lecture by William Mallinson will only be presented online, i.e., on Facebook or YouTube. For details about accessing the online lecture, see below.
Lecture Programme
11 July 2024 (Online)
Dr William Mallinson, Professor of Political Ideas & Institutions at Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome, and formerly a member of the British Diplomatic Service
“Cyprus and Kissinger: Killing the Myth”
This is an online-only lecture only, so please join us on YouTube or Facebook. Links to the lecture will be announced soon. You don’t need an account with either of these services to just watch the event, but you do need one if you want to participate in the Live Q&A. At the end of the lecturer’s presentation, we ask our viewers to submit written questions through the comment or chat function of Facebook or YouTube. We then select and submit a number of your questions to our guest. We look forward to your participation.]
“As the author of a recent book on Kissinger, and how he bamboozled Greece, and even Britain, over the invasion of Cyprus, I am surprised at the mainstream media’s eulogising of one of the most cynical armchair executioners the world has ever known. We must put the record straight…”
18 July 2024
Pavlos Andronikos, President of ΣEKA Victoria, formerly Head of Greek at
Monash University
“The Nature of the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus in 1974”
Turkish sources describe what we call the “Turkish Invasion” as a “peace operation”.
What was it really? How was it conducted, and what were its aims?
The Hon. Theo Theophanous, President of the Cyprus Community of Melbourne & Victoria; formerly a Minister in the Parliament of Victoria
“Cyprus: The Solution Rests with Turkey, Not Greek and Turkish Cypriots”
Evidence suggests a majority of Greek and Turkish Cypriots want a free united Cyprus under a federation model. It is a mistake to think that the election of the right-wing Tatar, who is pursuing a two-country model is now the main obstacle. The diaspora has a role in showing the international community that Greek and Turkish Cypriots can coexist under a free united Cyprus Federation, and that Turkey remains the main obstacle.
25 July 2024
Konstantinos Kalymnios
“Pseudo State or Defacto State? The Legal Status of the Occupied Part of Cyprus”
While the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is considered illegitimate in international law, this lecture looks at the various means by which some world powers seek to treat with that entity as sovereign.
Γιάννης Μηλίδης, φιλόλογος
«Επειδή υπάρχουν βιβλία, υπάρχει ομορφιά σ’ αυτόν τον κόσμο: Η λογοτεχνία της Κύπρου και το τραύμα της εισβολής» (In Greek only)
Τι θα ήταν ο κόσμος μας χωρίς βιβλία; Ακόμα και σε στιγμές εθνικής τραγωδίας όπου υπάρχει κίνδυνος αφάνισης ενός ολόκληρου λαού, έρχονται τα βιβλία να δώσουν πνοή και πνεύμα στα θύματα της τραγωδίας, να απαλύνουν τις θύμισες και τα αδιέξοδα. Τα βιβλία είναι που συγκρατούν και συγγράφουν τον πολιτισμό ενός λαού που απειλείται από εξαφάνιση. Μέσα από τα βιβλία τους, οι συγγραφείς αντιστέκονται στην αδικία και στην αφάνιση. Θα παρουσιάσουμε λοιπόν πώς το έργο των Κυπρίων συγγραφέων που έζησαν την εισβολή, αλλά ακόμα και νεότερων που δεν την έζησαν, αλλάζουν τον ρου της ιστορίας, δίνοντας την ομορφιά της ζωής και του πολιτισμού πίσω στα θύματά της.
