AKEL opposes renaming Atatürk Street in Paphos — Cyprus Mail

In Cyprus, the AKEL party has opposed plans to rename Kemal Atatürk Street in the Mouttalos district of Paphos. Following a city council meeting, the party called the initiative untimely and inappropriate, Cyprus Mail reports.

AKEL’s position

The party stated that certain city council members have been systematically seeking to change the names of Turkish streets in the Turkish Cypriot district of Mouttalos. AKEL stressed the sensitivity of the issue, as the area is now predominantly temporarily inhabited by displaced Greek Cypriots who left their homes because of the Turkish invasion.

The party also noted that Cyprus’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which the city council has long asked for a position, has still not provided one. According to AKEL, the renaming would mean applying the practice of changing street names and place names, of which the Greek Cypriot side accuses the Turkish Cypriot side.

AKEL also criticized the acting mayor’s haste in bringing the matter up for consideration. The party linked the discussion to expected developments surrounding the Cyprus issue and stated that its priority is its fair settlement and the reunification of the island.

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Proposed new name

In May, DISY city council member Nina Gkaraklidou said that a majority of councillors supported a proposal to name the street after Nikos Kapetanidis. He was a journalist from the Black Sea city of Rize, published a newspaper in Trabzon, and was sentenced to death during the Amasya trials of 1921.

Gkaraklidou explained that the street’s name in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, causes painful feelings among Mouttalos’ current residents. According to her, street names reflect the community’s values, roots, history, and choices.

Reaction from the Turkish Cypriot side

The head of the Turkish Cypriot administration, Ünal Üstel, a native of Paphos, stated that the renaming plan demonstrates the Greek Cypriot side’s attitude. According to him, the initiative could destroy trust between the communities and contribute to conflict rather than peace.

Before 1974, Mouttalos was historically a district of Paphos’ Turkish Cypriot community. The names of some of its streets are associated with Turkish and Turkish Cypriot historical figures, including poet Namık Kemal, President İsmet İnönü, and the first vice president of the Republic of Cyprus, Fazıl Küçük.