‘Invite women to the Cyprus problem negotiating table, not to the army’

Women should be invited to sit at the Cyprus problem negotiating table, not to join the armed forces, Turkish Cypriot opposition party CTP ‘MP’ Dogus Derya said.

She took to social media to criticise President Nikos Christodoulides’ decision to allow Greek Cypriot women the right to voluntarily complete national service in the National Guard.

“Bringing such a law onto the agenda on the eve of Cyprus negotiations shows once again that the masculine mentality which feeds nationalism and militarism, instead of understanding the demands for equality put forward by those who defend women’s rights, uses these demands to reproduce their own patriarchal mentality,” she said.

She added, “it is a fact that this understanding, which ignores the demand for peace which has been put forward by women who have paid the heaviest price for war and armament all over the world since the beginning of the 20th century … has made no contribution to the solution process on the island.

“Cypriot women have been striving for equal and effective female participation in the negotiating process since the beginning of the 2000s. If Christodoulides wants women to contribute to their country more equally, he should invite our Greek Cypriot sisters to the negotiating table, not the army.”

She added that in doing this, he should “ensure the full and effective participation of women in the solution process”.

“What we, Cypriot women, need is not more armament and militaristic activities, but to have a say in our country as equal citizens,” she added.

She also made reference to United Nations Security Council resolution 1325, which, among other things, calls for greater female representation in peace negotiations in post-conflict areas across the world.

Passed in 2000, the resolution calls for “including a gender perspective in peace negotiations and increasing women’s participation in peace negotiation, with particular attention to supporting local women’s peace initiatives”.

Cabinet approved the law change allowing women to enlist voluntarily in the National Guard on Wednesday, with Christodoulides describing the change as a “pivotal moment” both for the National Guard and for Cyprus.

“This decision enhances the readiness of the National Guard while granting women the same right to serve in military service, reinforcing the idea that the responsibility for the country’s security is collective,” he said.