Türkiye calls European Court ruling ‘timely response’ to ‘politically motivated arrests’ by Greek Cypriot authorities

ISTANBUL

Türkiye on Wednesday described a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights as a “timely response” to “politically motivated arrests” by Greek Cypriot authorities targeting those engaged in legal activities under Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) property regulations.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oncu Keceli said the judgment in K.V. Mediterranean Tours Limited v. Türkiye would be examined thoroughly while noting the court’s reaffirmation of the Immovable Property Commission’s effectiveness.

The case concerns property rights related to a building complex owned by the Cypriot company K.V. Mediterranean Tours Limited, established in 1967.

The company abandoned its property in the Maras area following Türkiye’s 1974 military intervention to the island as a guarantor power and applied to the Immovable Property Commission in 2010 seeking compensation and restitution.

“We consider this latest judgment a timely response to the politically motivated arrests carried out by the Greek Cypriot Administration against the TRNC and third-country nationals engaged in legal activities under the TRNC’s property regime,” Keceli said.

The spokesperson called the ruling “a lesson in the face of ongoing efforts to spread fear and intimidation, undermine the economic welfare of the Turkish Cypriot people, and disregard international law.”

“We share and support the views expressed in the statements made by the TRNC authorities on this issue,” Keceli underlined.

TRNC President Ersin Tatar said Wednesday that the decision recognized the commission’s effectiveness.

“This is not just a court decision but also a warning. You cannot achieve a solution by ignoring the Turkish Cypriot side and imposing an embargo,” he said.

The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted to the European Union in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.

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