TC MPs confronted EU, GC protesters
TURKISH Cypriot MPs were among those who confronted EU representatives and Greek Cypriot activists who displayed a protest banner on Tuesday during a visit to the fenced off Gazimağusa suburb of Maraş.
Local National Unity Party (UBP) MPs Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu and Resmiye Canaltay, who were at the scene, described the activists’ banner — proclaiming in Greek “Please take us home!” — as “provocative and an insult on our own territory”.
The 25-strong EU group from the South which crossed the Akyar border checkpoint included eight European MPs — from South Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Italy, Sweden and Slovenia — and bloc officials accompanied by Greek Cypriot “Mayor of Famagusta” Alexis Galanos and representatives of the South’s Orthodox Church.
The EU delegation had said they wished to undertake an “objective assessment” of Maraş.
TRNC police arrested eight Greek Cypriots and one Briton after they went to the barbed wire that surrounds Maraş, but all were released after videos and photographs they had taken were deleted.
Emotions ran high on both sides of the confrontation, with Greek Cypriots shouting that they wished to “go home” and Turkish Cypriots responding with chants of “Maraş is Turkish”.
Mr Hasipoğlu told Cyprus Today: “The European parliamentarians refused to speak to Turkish Cypriots to get their views and only listened to Greek Cypriots. Then they came prepared to open provocative banners and chant slogans.
“Our only demand was a plea for European MPs to listen to the views of Turkish Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots holding Turkish and TRNC flags were present and they protested at the one-sided approach of the European MPs.
“We want the EU to take a balanced approach, rather than act in an unjust, one-sided manner.”
Mr Hasipoğlu added: “They forced us to give a letter to them near barbed wire . . . [in which] we told them . . . that we would have wanted them to listen to the problems and views of Turkish Cypriots, as the EU purports to uphold democracy and human rights.
“Our letter referred to the Annan Plan in 2004, the Turkish Cypriot ‘Yes’ and Greek Cypriot ‘No’ to a settlement, and the promises made by the EU that were never kept concerning the ending of Turkish Cypriot isolation . . .
“We also referred to the Confidence-Building Measures proposed by former UN SecretaryGeneral [Boutros Boutros-] Ghali on July 1, 1993, to open Maraş for residents. But this was refused by the Greek Cypriots.
“Another proposal was made by [founding President] Rauf Denktaş in 2003 and by former President Mehmet Ali Talat in 2005 to open Maraş. This was again refused by Greek Cypriots.”
Deputy Prime Minister Kudret Özersay said in a statement on Tuesday: “The EU must learn to appreciate both sides. EU officials have again failed to act in a neutral manner and have preferred to obtain information from only one side.”