The 18th Pancyprian Congress of EDON which was held between the 2nd until the 4th of January 2016, declares to the Turkish Cypriot Youth the following:
1. EDON, as the youth part of the popular movement, addresses to all of our compatriots Turkish Cypriot youth a warm and friendship greeting of cooperation, brotherhood and common struggle for solution and reunification of our homeland. EDON is committed to the policy of the rapprochement and peaceful coexistence between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and continues its struggles for the deepening and massification of this policy.
2. The policy of the rapprochement is a strategic choice to EDON and a consequence of our class, our social and our ideological roots. It is within this philosophy that the People's Movement due to its nature of being the representative of all Cypriots, independently of their origin, proposed a common front of the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to overthrow the English colonial yoke, and to win and safeguard the class and social rights of the Cypriot workers. Subsequently, the establishment of the Cypriot state, with intense of its bicommunal character and the separating elements, the Left correctly predicted that for this to work the state should restore the relations and to consolidate the cooperation between the two communities. The intercommunal clashes of 1963-64 and the tragic events of 1974, now made the need for political rapprochement imperative. Within these conditions, the left found the political courage and the boldness to put forth again the policy of rapprochement immediately after the painful and tragic experience of the treasonous coup and the brutal Turkish invasion.
3. The massive and daily encounter of the Greek and Turkish Cypriots, after the partial lifting of the restrictions on free movement in 2003, weakened the dichotomous philosophy of the impossibility of coexistence between the two communities. This development proved that the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots can live and create together, and that they are the real masters in our land, away from foreign tutelage and away from the imperialist interventions.
4. The failure of the efforts for a solution of the Cyprus problem in 2004, resulted in both communities the feelings of disappointment and suspicion, leading the movement of rapprochement with difficulties. At the same time, chauvinism and nationalism found fertile ground, including primarily the forces of the far right in both communities. Unfortunately, phenomena of nationalist outbreaks have not disappeared, especially due to the fact that the far right is continuing its policy of intolerance, nationalism and the anti-federal hysteria within the secondary and the university student movements. Therefore, we urge the Turkish Cypriot youth in common struggle against the forces of nationalism and chauvinism, and also to an enlisting in the struggle for a solution and rapprochement.
5. The emergence of Mustafa Akinci, a supporter of a federal solution, at the Turkish Cypriot leadership in April 2015, was a positive development, since it was possible to resume the direct negotiations between the leaders of the two communities. EDON supports the negotiation process, without this meaning that we give a blank check to the President Anastasiadis. The Resetting of most of the convergences that were reached between Christofias - Talat during the period 2008-2010 by the President Anastasiadis and the discussion of the outstanding key issues, belatedly off course and after the pressure of AKEL, led to further mobility in the negotiations, which vindicates the position originally expressed by EDON as well.
6. We call Turkey to avoid move abroad from the verbal affirmations in the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, and to actively support the process of the solution. At the same time we call on Ankara to stop the colonization and the alteration of the demographic composition of the island, those policies which force young Turkish Cypriots to migration and threatening the cultural identity of all of our people. We call on the same time Turkey to withdraw its occupying troops. We express our solidarity with our Turkish Cypriot compatriots in the struggles they carry out against the attempts of the Turkish big capital imposed on Turkish Cypriot community and the neoliberal measures that Turkey is attempting to impose against them.
7. The positions of EDON to rapprochement is a consequence of our class approach and our ideology. The rapprochement comes out of the common class, the social and political struggles and is expressed through the struggle for the common homeland for the federation and the guaranteeing of the human rights of our people against imperialism. We will succeed only through our mutual understanding that the safeguarding of basic principles is necessary to reach an acceptable solution. Today, we have a duty to further intensify this fight. This is necessary to improve the relations between the two communities that are suffering the shock due to the acceptance of the status quo and, and in order to politically isolate nationalism and chauvinism. The continuation of the Turkish occupation and the perpetuation of the status quo is unacceptable and damaging. At the same time, we emphasize that the division of Cyprus, not only cannot be an option, but instead is the disaster of our country.
8. We reaffirm all our previous declarations and our commitment to a peaceful solution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with a single sovereignty, a single international personality and a single citizenship, as provided by the two High Level Agreements of 1977 and 1979 by all relevant United Nations resolutions and international law. A solution based on political equality, as agreed by the Christofias - Talat and as it was unveiled in the UN Security Council resolutions. One-state solution, with a single sovereignty, international personality and citizenship. A solution that is respectful of human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots, rejects the warranties of any foreign country and guarantee the full independence of Cyprus, away from NATO and the branches of it. We strive for a united Cyprus, independent, demilitarized, a Cyprus of peace and prosperity for all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins. In this common struggle EDON will continue to lead.
January 2015, Nicosia