Your views on our news

LAST week’s exclusive interview with President Ersin Tatar and our story highlighting the barriers people in the UK are encountering in trying to travel back to their homes in North Cyprus have generated a huge debate on social media.

President wants more people from UK to settle in North Cyprus (Cyprus Today, March 20):

“First you need to let expats have a koçan [title deed], this is one of the main reasons a lot have left and not many arrive. We have shared land with three Brits and three Turkish Cypriots, the TCs will not pay for parcelisation so we are stuck.”

Diane Currie

“I’m sure we’d like more expats to settle here in the TRNC. But we must make them feel comfortable and wanted. Words are cheap when it takes two years for permission to buy a house. Stop these rogue builders and solicitors who defraud them of their money. Update the system and make it more professional and equal and easier for us all, and not because of who you know.” Ossie Kar

“From my observations, I would say that an awful lot of water has to flow under several bridges before there is any likelihood of this happening. Tatar is purposely minimising the huge differences which exist between the UK and the TRNC.” John L Oakes

“THE TRNC needs to review how British citizens are treated in the TRNC. I have lived here since 2002 and only recently received permanent residency and even that gets reviewed in two years. In 2002, I was promised permanent residency after five consecutive years’ temporary residency, which I maintained for 18 years. It was called ‘Short Term Residency’. Citizenship is not in sight. When one retires to the TRNC, you invest your savings, your state pension, your private pension, any income from investments, you resign your NHS care and any benefits, and this stays in the TRNC, it doesn’t go back to Britain, after two weeks holiday. It has sustained the TRNC economy throughout the pandemic.”

Olwyn Patterson

“[I have] lived here permanently since 2002 and never lapsed on renewing temporary residency. Still no full title deeds so this issue needs addressing to entice UK residents to move to the TRNC. No-one should be expected to wait 19 years and counting to have the deeds to their home that they have paid for in full.” Sheila Hawkins

“This is good news but it won’t happen until Brits and other foreign nationals are treated the same and I can’t see that happening. We are also a victim of the corrupt legal system. Our solicitor told us many years ago that we should be lucky we have a property that is finished, despite the fact the contract was blatantly ignored. 15 years later still no sign of a koçan.”

Ian Morgan

“We would love to [return to the TRNC]. We have a half-finished property but our developer took all our money and disappeared.”

Margaret Sellick

“Well said – let’s hope the UK government listens and does more to help.” Trevor Croft

“Unfortunately for UK Turkish Cypriots, moving to [North] Cyprus is not appealing enough and financially it doesn’t make any sense unless you are already wealthy. Tatar needs to address this first and do so very urgently if this is what he wants. I moved to [North] Cyprus five years ago from London and I love the peaceful life here. . . I have always loved [North] Cyprus and I always will, otherwise I never would have moved here. But that being said, there are a lot of things that need to be addressed here within the government.” Erkan Mustafa

“Excellent approach . . . and I believe that this call will be answered by our overseas population. There are steps which the government needs to take in order to encourage people to return to [their] native country. We are all very lucky to have someone like Mr Tatar who has both experience in Cyprus and in the UK. The government must derive a formula whereby it will encourage the return of Turkish Cypriots living abroad.” Münür Djemil

“People living in the UK will find it very hard living in [North] Cyprus if they need to be working and earning money. Those who are of retirement age and have an income from the UK can live off [that], no problem. My parents have done the same thing. My husband lives in [North] Cyprus and I struggle financially to stay there throughout the year as both of us working for [the minimum wage] is just not enough, therefore I travel constantly between the UK and [North] Cyprus for work.”

Kıymet Soydağ – Çalış

“It depends on what kind of life you want! We moved to [North] Cyprus in January and we are very happy so far, time will tell.” Osman N Tijen Hergunerler

“Give people citizenship within five years and a vote and maybe he has a plan.” Christopher Pattison

“It might help if they did not charge extortionate fees for bringing cars over.” Kemal Osman

“Same old story from the government and the cash I wasted on residency counts for nothing and makes it as hard or impossible to get back.”

Ian Bailey

‘I will never give in to the Greek Cypriots’ – Eltan Halil speaks exclusively to President Ersin Tatar (Cyprus Today, March 20)

“He made a lot of sense. A two-state solution is the way forward. Recognise both countries and allow the Green Line to stay intact. Then each country can decide how many people from the other country can come to live in [their] country. It’s simple. Federalism won’t work because of [the] vested interest[s of] bigger countries.”

Olumide Abiodun Akinyemi

“Since the founding President Denktaş (RIP) we have a President who gives priority to the rights and needs of Turkish Cypriots, and Turkey and the TRNC are on the same page. Together we will get success, in Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean region.”

Emine Hassan

“I sure do like the clear forthright way he speaks – refreshing.”

Les Kondratoff

“It’s not about ‘giving in’ – it’s about finding a win-win solution. . . Sad that he doesn’t have a 21st Century vision.”

Ayşe Hassan

Barriers to TRNC entry – returning foreign nonresidents must present their original title deeds or rental agreements (Cyprus Today, March 13):

“I’m angry because we own a property but because we do not have our original documents with us in the UK we are unable to get to visit it. Does the government not want our support for the livelihood of the country at this time? (We have both had our [Covid19] vaccinations so are relatively safe to travel.)” Pauline Pearce

“Why not fly to the South and get someone to bring the documents across the border for you?” Stephen Paul Smith

“Just hang on a little longer. It’s all going to change again soon. All North Cyprus neighbours will be opening including the South and Turkey from May 17. So it’s likely the North will follow suit.”