Bota

Cyprus accuses Turkey: It is seeking full control of the separatist north

Cyprus accuses Turkey: It is seeking full control of the separatist north

Cyprus has accused Turkey of seeking full control over the separatist north of the island and will file a formal complaint to the United Nations, President Nicos Anastasiades said, foreign media reported.

Anastasiades claimed that Turkey's new bailout deal with Turkish Cypriots, along with changes in air travel, demonstrate Ankara's desire to "fully control" Turkish Cypriots in the north.

Cyprus is an ethnically divided island, divided between a minority of Turkish Cypriots in the north and Greek Cypriots in the south. Only Turkey recognizes the independence of the Turkish Cypriots.

In the letter to the UN, Anastasiades said she would also protest against Turkey's move to designate the main Turkish Cypriot airport as an inland flight route, turning it into a Turkish airport.

"I will continue with the complaint again with the United Nations regarding the airport which ... is basically being integrated and is considered a Turkish airport," Anastasiades said. "Secondly, the (financial) protocol clearly shows Ankara 's full control over the Turkish Cypriots."

Turkish officials, however, have said the designation of the airport is intended to make flights to and from northern Cyprus cheaper.

Financial dependence

Although the north has long been dependent on Turkish economic aid, many Turkish Cypriots are worried about a new package of € 240m ($ 256m) in grants and loans from Turkey, which accounts for a third of its annual revenue. state.

United Cyprus News, a peace group, says the agreement forces Turkish Cypriots to impose measures that restrict freedom of speech, making it easier for Turkish citizens to buy property on the island and giving more power to religious authorities.

"These measures pose a direct threat to the will, identity, culture, way of life and heritage of Turkish Cypriots," the group said.

The leader of the left-wing Turkish Republican Party, Tufan Erhurman, called the agreement a "protocol for abandoning the will" of Turkish Cypriots to self-govern.

Latest news