Brussels, Belgium. The Turkish Cypriot ‘foreign ministry’ on Thursday condemned the European Parliament’s latest annual report on Turkey, saying its references to Cyprus reflected what it described as a biased approach detached from realities on the island. The report was accepted by a majority vote on Wednesday.
Rejection of report’s Cyprus references
The ‘ministry’ said it completely rejected what it called baseless accusations against Turkey and assessments which, in its view, disregarded the Turkish Cypriot people’s inherent rights, sovereign will, and the existing realities on the island.
It criticised the report’s reference to the Turkish Cypriot people as a “legitimate community of the island” and its call on Turkey to allow Turkish Cypriots the “space to act”, saying this language ignored the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which it said had been established by the people’s democratic will.
The ‘ministry’ said the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a sovereign and independent state that maintains its existence through its institutions, democratic structure, and the free will of its people.
Position on Cyprus settlement model
The ‘ministry’ said the European Parliament’s continued support for a federation-based agreement as the only option for resolving the Cyprus problem was incompatible with what it described as the political and factual realities on the island.
It said reintroducing a negotiation model that had been exhausted due to what it called the Greek Cypriot side’s intransigence would not contribute to efforts to reach an agreement. It added that a lasting and just agreement would only be possible through acceptance of the Turkish Cypriot people’s sovereign equality and equal international status.
Objections to specific issues in the report
The ‘ministry’ also criticised what it described as unfounded claims regarding Strovilia, Pyla, and Varosha, as well as what it called biased and untrue assessments concerning immovable property, missing persons, cultural heritage issues, buffer zone violations, and Turkey’s presence in Cyprus.
It said those references were entirely biased and null and void from its perspective. The report was largely critical of the Turkish military’s actions in Cyprus’ buffer zone, expressed concern over what it described as a lack of maintenance of churches in northern Cyprus, and criticised the development of property owned by Greek Cypriots before 1974.
Objection to envoy proposal
The ‘ministry’ also rejected the report’s request for the appointment of a new European Union envoy for the Cyprus problem, calling such an appointment unwarranted.