Turkish Cypriot side hits out on Cyprus’ EU accession

The Turkish Cypriot side has on Wednesday hit out at Cyprus being inducted to EU saying that it as “an unjust and historic mistake”.

According to a statement from the ‘foreign ministry’, “The EU is the only one responsible for the continued impasse on the island”.

The ‘ministry’ said: “Today marks 20 years since the injustice and historical mistake committed by the EU against the Turkish Cypriot people”, adding that the Greek Cypriot side “illegally and unilaterally became a full member of the EU”.

They said that the EU is “the only one responsible for the ongoing deadlock on the island” because it unconditionally accepted the Republic of Cyprus as a full member “in violation of its own fundamental principles and values, as well as international treaties, despite the fact that the referendums held simultaneously and separately in the north and south on April 24, 2004 confirmed that there are two separate peoples and two states in Cyprus with the right to self-determination”.

“In fact, the statements of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, which have been reflected in the press in recent days, show that EU officials do not even feel the need to stop publicly displaying their biased attitude that supports the maximalist Greek Cypriot positions on Cyprus, with the audacity of ignoring the Turkish Cypriot people,” the ‘ministry’ argued.

“Therefore, the EU’s claim that it supports a solution on the island is simply a manifestation of its insincerity,” he added.

“In order to ensure lasting peace and stability on the island and in the Eastern Mediterranean region, it is inevitable that the EU takes responsibility for the mistake it made 20 years ago and recognises the inherent sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people, accepting the free will of the Turkish Cypriot people in the light of the current reality,” it concluded.

As the Republic of Cyprus is a member of the EU, currently Turkish Cypriots also enjoy rights of EU citizens.