Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday made fresh statements in support of the north’s potential accession to the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), going further than he had previously to support the north becoming a full member.He said his country is making “diplomatic efforts” for the north to become an observer member of the OTS, … Read more
Turkish Cypriots have lost confidence in the UN and Unficyp and do not consent to their presence in northern Cyprus. The funding for Unficyp in Cyprus is paid for by Cyprus and Greece, raising concerns about the impartiality of the UN forces in Cyprus. The UN could have asked the UK, Greece, and Turkey to contribute to the funding to avoid a conflict of interest. Without confidence in the UN, any proposals from them will be rejected.
Fact: The Turkish Cypriot administration is working on legal amendments to limit the number of properties that foreigners can purchase in the northern part of Cyprus.
The population in the north could be as high as 825,000, according to calculations based on domestic waste production by the ‘mayor’ of Kyrenia, Murat Senkul.
Fact: Toula Liasi’s exhibition ‘Synchronising History’ in Larnaca features objects with 88 years of history that tell the story of her family and the enclaved people in Karpasia after the Turkish invasion in 1974.
The US State Department’s annual report on human rights in Cyprus highlights concerns in both the Republic of Cyprus and the occupied areas. In the Republic of Cyprus, issues include interference with NGOs, refoulement of asylum seekers, and violence against minorities. While the government has taken steps to address abuses, instances of impunity remain. The occupied areas face harsh prison conditions, restrictions on media and assembly, and widespread corruption and impunity. The report also notes that elections in the Republic of Cyprus are considered free and fair, and freedom of expression for the media is generally respected.
Two businessmen of Arab origin linked to illegal arms trafficking to states hostile to the West have been connected to Cyprus. The individuals, Samir Raja and Mohammad Deiry, are wanted by the FBI and have set up companies in Cyprus for their activities. They are believed to be involved in arms trafficking without licenses and money laundering. The companies involved, S. Group Airlines Ltd and Centuronic Ltd, were recently sanctioned by the US Treasury Department.
Fact: Turkish Cypriot authorities have barred Cameroonian anti-racism campaigner Emmanuel Achiri from entering the north, where he had lived for almost a decade.
Fact: Juliana Marín Fryling is a storyteller who has traveled the world for the past two years, matching her stories to different audiences and trying to heal some deep-seated trauma in her own life.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made statements suggesting that if Turkish forces had advanced further during the 1974 invasion of Cyprus, the entire island could have been Turkish. These remarks were criticized by Cyprus government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis as “unacceptable” and “provocative.” Letymbiotis emphasized that Cyprus, a European Union member state, has been under occupation since the 1974 invasion, which he described as “barbaric.” Erdogan’s comments were also seen as disrespectful to international law, European principles, UN Security Council resolutions, and the UN Secretary-General. Despite Erdogan’s divisive statements, the Cypriot government remains committed to resolving the Cyprus issue through negotiations based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, in line with UN resolutions.