Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman accused the European Parliament of applying “double standards,” criticizing its decision last October to erect a memorial dedicated to the victims and missing persons of the Turkish invasion, arguing that the same sensitivity is not shown toward missing Turkish Cypriots.
Speaking on Saturday at a ceremony in the occupied village of Vouno, in memory of the Turkish Cypriots from Tochni, Zygi, and Mari who were killed in August 1974, Mr. Erhurman stated that the Turkish Cypriot community “will not remain silent in the face of the disregard for the pain it has endured.”
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“We will continue to highlight and defend the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people at every international forum,” he said. He described the European Parliament’s decision “scandalous,” arguing that it overlooks the Turkish Cypriot missing persons and presents the reality in Cyprus in a manner that he claimed was “incomplete, one-sided, and biased.”
The Turkish Cypriot leader also referred to the work of the Committee on Missing Persons, noting that its investigations are continuing with the aim of determining the fate of the missing persons and alleviating the pain of their families.
The ceremony began with a wreath-laying ceremony and concluded with a visit to the victims’ burial site.
Furthermore, as reported by the Turkish Cypriot online press, the “prime minister,” Ünal Ustel, rejected the prospect of returning the besieged town of Varosia. At the same time, he criticized the President of the Republic, Nicos Christodoulides, describing the Greek Cypriot side’s statements regarding the dark anniversary of the invasion as “provocative and unrealistic”. He also claimed that the Greek Cypriot leadership is ignoring the so-called “realities” on the island.
Source: CNA
