Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said on Saturday that the Greek Cypriot leadership was continuing efforts to use the law for political purposes in matters relating to property. He said the property issue affected both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and could only be resolved through sincerity.
Position on legal action
Erhurman said the issue was impossible to resolve through lawsuits brought by Greek Cypriots against Turkish Cypriots or vice versa, adding that it formed part of a broader political problem reflected in the scope of negotiations.
Call for comprehensive settlement
He reiterated Turkish Cypriot commitment to a comprehensive settlement and said the Turkish Cypriot side had established the Immovable Property Commission, offering remedies of restitution, exchange and compensation until a comprehensive settlement is reached.
Erhurman said attempts to use the law as a political instrument to build political positions or create domestic political success stories through the hardship experienced by individuals could not be tolerated.
He said that if there was genuine sincerity, efforts should focus instead on achieving a comprehensive settlement, which would also lead to a resolution of the property issue.
Response and preparations
Erhurman said the losses were not solely those of Greek Cypriots and added that the north had never endorsed approaches that target individuals and use the law as an instrument of politics by making them bear the burden of the Cyprus problem.
He said no one should assume that the north had no means of responding in such matters and that it would not accept positions advanced on that basis.
Erhurman also said the north would continue to support the efforts of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and proceed with its wide-ranging preparations on the property issue until a settlement is reached.
Reference to property cases
Erhurman was referring to several cases involving the illegal sale of Greek Cypriot property in the north by real estate agents including Simon Aykut, an Israeli land developer who was sentenced to five years in prison in 2025 on several charges, including possession of stolen land, money laundering and conspiracy to commit a crime.
