Nicosia, Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriot ‘foreign ministry’ has condemned a European Parliament resolution on the sexual violence suffered by Cypriot women during Turkey’s 1974 invasion, calling it biased, prejudiced, and politically motivated. It said the resolution distorted the events of 1974 and unfairly targeted the Turkish Cypriot people and Turkey.
Condemnation of the resolution
The Turkish Cypriot ‘foreign ministry’ said it strongly condemned the resolution passed earlier this week by the European Parliament. It described the text as a manifestation of what it called the European Parliament’s biased, prejudiced, and politically motivated approach to the Cyprus issue.
It said the resolution distorted what it referred to as the 1974 Turkish military intervention and targeted both the Turkish Cypriot people and Turkey.
Position on the events of 1974
The ministry said that after the July 15, 1974 coup d’état carried out by Greece and Greek Cypriot collaborators with the aim of annexing the island to Greece and eliminating the Turkish Cypriots, Turkey intervened on the island on July 20, 1974.
It said Turkey acted in accordance with its rights and obligations as a guarantor power. According to the ministry, the military action ended systematic attacks, massacres, and grave human rights violations committed against the Turkish Cypriot people between 1963 and 1974.
The statement added that the operation ensured the safety of the Turkish Cypriot people, prevented a potential mass slaughter on the island, and guaranteed what it described as the existence and freedom of its people.
Accusations against the European Parliament
The ministry said the European Parliament had failed to address what it described as atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by Greek Cypriots against Turkish Cypriots during that period. It accused the parliament of overstepping its bounds by making what it called baseless accusations against the Turkish armed forces.
It added that the decision, which it said targeted Turkey, would contribute to Greek Cypriot propaganda aimed at deceiving the world.
Contact with European Parliament committee
The ministry said that before the resolution was passed, the 11 female members of the Turkish Cypriot legislature sent letters to the European Parliament’s gender equality committee, Femm, and to Spanish MEP Lina Galvez.
According to the ministry, the letters responded to claims it said did not reflect the truth and were part of efforts to present what it described as the realities on the island accurately and transparently.
Criticism of the European Union
Despite those efforts, the ministry said the adoption of the resolution showed once again that the European Union and its institutions had long lost their neutrality on the Cyprus issue and were acting entirely as spokespeople for the Greek Cypriot side.
