Northern Cyprus rejects 2021 European Parliament report on Türkiye

By Muhammet Ikbal Arslan

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) - The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Friday decried the European Parliament's latest report on Türkiye.

In a written statement, the TRNC Presidency said the 2021 report is a reflection of the body's bias and confirms the rightfulness of the Turkish Cypriot position that the EU should not be involved in any possible process related to the Cyprus issue.

It said the "unacceptable" statements on Cyprus in the European Parliament's report about Türkiye compiled the Greek Cypriot administration arguments under the pretext of EU solidarity.

The statement noted that the rapporteur appointed by the European Parliament directly gave voice to the arguments, ignoring the facts both on the island and in the region.

"The parties involved, including the EU, should know that TRNC is at least as sovereign as the Greek Cypriot administration side, and it will not give up this vested right under any circumstances," it noted.

It said the statements in the report on the Cyprus issue's resolution showed that its authors were unaware of the process being pursued at the initiative of the UN secretary-general.

In a separate statement on Thursday, the TRNC's Foreign Ministry had said they "deplore" the report, noting that had been voted and adopted by the European Parliament, reflecting an "unfortunate approach denying the rights of the Turkish Cypriots, as in previous reports."

"The fact that the report includes, once again, the view that a solution to the Cyprus problem should be found on the basis of a 'bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality' is an indication that the European Union is still ignoring the realities prevailing on the island" it said.

"We hope that the European Parliament and its institutions cease to being a tool for the ill-intended policies of Greek Cypriot side and Greece," added the statement.

Underlining that the report's call to Türkiye to 'reject the two-state solution proposal in Cyprus' points to the legislative body's detachment from "the realities on the Island," it said the EU and its institutions are "the main responsible parties for the status quo" which subjects Turkish Cypriots to isolation and offers "a comfort zone" to the Greek Cypriot side.

The bloc has "no moral implication on commenting on the Cyprus issue," it added.

- Decades-long dispute

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aiming at Greece’s annexation led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.

The TRNC was founded in 1983. It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted the UN’s Annan plan to end the long-standing dispute.