TRNC president criticizes Greek Cypriot Administration’s arrests as ‘terrorist activities’

By Mehmet Kemal Firik and Efe Ozkan

LEFKOSA / ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar on Monday criticized recent arrests by the Greek Cypriot Administration of individuals who purchased property in the TRNC, describing them as “terrorist activities.”

Tatar received Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, the UN secretary-general's personal representative for Cyprus, at the TRNC presidential compound.

Holding a press conference after the meeting, Tatar criticized the actions and conveyed their discomfort to Cuellar to be conveyed to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Tatar said he informed Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulidis that the arrests were having a negative impact on the peace process.

He emphasized that no progress could be made, either in the UN-supervised trilateral meeting or in broader negotiations, unless the Greek Cypriot side halts the arrest of individuals who have purchased property in the TRNC.

He said the Greek Cypriot Administration is trying to strangle the TRNC, which is already under embargo and isolation, and labeled the actions as “terrorizing.”

“The terrorizing actions of the Greek Cypriot side continue to increase. The attacks are a miscalculation aimed at bringing us to our knees. We have conveyed this situation to the UN. There is a great discomfort due to property issues. Until these issues are addressed, the trilateral meeting will not benefit anyone.”

After the meeting, Cuellar said she listened carefully to Tatar's concerns, they discussed confidence building measures agreed by the parties in Geneva in March, and that they need to achieve results on these issues for the next meeting in New York in July.

Cuellar said she had a good meeting with Tatar, adding that she will meet Christodoulides on May 30.

The UN official said she would try to do her best on Cyprus, and build a bridge between the parties for concrete results.