Paphos council votes to rename Kemal Ataturk Street as Memory and Hope Street

Paphos, Cyprus. Paphos town council voted on Monday night to rename Kemal Ataturk Street in the historically Turkish Cypriot neighbourhood of Moutallos as “Memory and Hope Street”.

Council approves change by majority

According to news website SigmaLive, the proposal passed by a majority vote, with acting mayor Angelos Onisiforou among those supporting it.

Akel and Diko abstained, saying they wanted to be informed of the foreign ministry’s position before making a decision.

Disy councillor Nina Gkaraklidou, who introduced the proposal, described the decision as “historic”.

Akel raises concerns over renaming

Last week, Akel said some town councillors were making “systematic efforts” to “rename Turkish streets in the Turkish Cypriot district of Moutallos”.

“The issue is particularly sensitive and must be treated with due seriousness. Moutallos is the Turkish Cypriot neighbourhood in the municipality, which is temporarily inhabited, for the most part, by Greek Cypriot displaced persons who were uprooted due to the Turkish invasion,” the party said.

It said renaming the street would mean “we would essentially be implementing ourselves that of which we rightly accuse the Turkish Cypriot side – renaming streets and place names”.

Akel added that “our concern is the just solution to the Cyprus problem and the reunification of our land and people”, and that “the Cyprus problem is a priority and we will fight until we succeed”.

“Let the proponents of these plans tell us why it is necessary to take this action. Have they accepted the idea of participation, and of two states?” it asked.

Moutallos street names reflect its history

Before 1974, Moutallos was historically home to Paphos’ Turkish Cypriot community. Its street names reflect that history, often commemorating Turkish and Turkish Cypriot figures, including poet Namik Kemal, late Turkish president Ismet Inonu and the Republic of Cyprus’ first vice president, Dr Fazil Kucuk.

Since then, the neighbourhood has become home to displaced Greek Cypriots, while the wider Paphos area experienced an influx of Pontic Greeks following the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991. Moves have subsequently been made to rename some streets bearing names deemed offensive by those communities.