Cyprus Today

Serdar-ting around the island

Ex-minister visits Turkish Cypriots in Limassol

- By TOM CLEAVER

SERDAR Denktaş, a former minister and son of the TRNC’s founding President Rauf Raif Denktaş, has visited the city of Limassol in South Cyprus to meet with members of the city’s small Turkish Cypriot community and visit Turkish Cypriot mosques, monuments, and businesses in the city.

On his visit, Mr Denktaş visited both the Köprülü and Arnavut mosques as well as the Limassol Martyrs’ Cemetery, while also speaking with Ayhan Mehmet, one of the leading figures of the Turkish Cypriot community in the city.

Mr Mehmet lamented the lack of care given to Turkish Cypriots living in the city by the current crop of TRNC politician­s, saying that “the Turkish Cypriot community living here is almost forgotten by Turkish Cypriot politician­s”, while praising Mr Denktaş as “a politician who has listened to our calls both in the past and now”.

Mr Mehmet explained that despite the lack of attention from Turkish Cypriot politician­s, the situation for Turkish Cypriots in Limassol has improved since he moved to the city.

“When I came here 33 years ago, the situation of our society in the city was not good,” he said. “It is better now, but this does not mean that we do not have problems . . . Greek Cypriot officials are establishi­ng a higher level of relations with us, but the coldness of Turkish Cypriot politician­s upsets us.”

Mr Mehmet said that the Köprülü Mosque had been in need of a Turkish imam in order to preserve Turkish Cypriots’ unique form of Islam in the city after it was “flooded” by Muslims from other countries “for a while”, whose “understand­ing of religion is different from our understand­ing”.

Mr Mehmet went on to explain that he asked the Cyprus Foundation­s Administra­tion (Evkaf) for help in sourcing an imam, but that “we received no response whatsoever”.

He noted that a Turkish imam had been temporaril­y sourced but that “he will soon leave and return to his country”, and that therefore help was required to find a permanent replacemen­t.

Mr Mehmet also bemoaned the lack of space in the Muslim cemeteries in Limassol, saying that “the growing Muslim population and the indifferen­ce of the Greek Cypriot authoritie­s have put us in a difficult position”.

He added that he hoped that the Turkish Cypriot authoritie­s will take action with regards to the cemetery, stating that around 850 Turkish Cypriots currently live in Limassol.

Mr Denktaş said that the Turkish Cypriots of

Limassol “should not be kept out of sight” and that “the purpose of this visit is to make your voice heard in the north of the island”.

“We have thousands of people from Limassol living in the North and you are protecting the heritage of those people on their behalf,” he said.

Mr Denktaş added that “there are many current politician­s from Limassol” and that he hopes that they will “hear your voice about the problems you are talking about”.

The most high-profile Turkish Cypriot politician from Limassol is currently the Health Minister İzlem Gürçağ Altuğra.

Mr Denktaş also called for the establishm­ent of a Foreign Ministry team of at least three people for Turkish Cypriots living in South Cyprus in order to solve their problems and make “routine visits” to the areas with high numbers of Turkish

Cypriot residents.

“Turkish Cypriots living in the south are also our citizens,” Mr Denktaş continued.

“If we look at them differentl­y to how we look at ourselves, we will see that they will disappear within a few generation­s.”

Mr Denktaş added that he plans to raise the problems of Turkish Cypriots living in South Cyprus during visits to Greek Cypriot politician­s.

 ?? ?? Serdar Denktaş, left, with Ayhan Mehmet
Serdar Denktaş, left, with Ayhan Mehmet
 ?? ?? The Köprülü Mosque in Limassol
The Köprülü Mosque in Limassol

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