Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman accused the European Parliament of applying "double standards," criticising its decision last October to create a monument dedicated to the victims and missing persons of the Turkish invasion, arguing that the same sensitivity is not shown towards missing Turkish Cypriots.
Remarks at a commemorative ceremony
Speaking on Saturday at a ceremony in Voni, in the north, in memory of Turkish Cypriots from Tochni, Zygi and Maratha who were killed in August 1974, Mr Erhürman said the Turkish Cypriot community "will not remain silent in the face of the disregard for the pain it has experienced."
"We will continue to promote and defend the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people at every international forum," he said. He described the European Parliament's decision as "scandalous," arguing that it disregards missing Turkish Cypriots and presents the reality in Cyprus in a manner he called "incomplete, one-sided and biased."
Reference to the Committee on Missing Persons
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 establishing the fate of missing persons and easing the pain of their families.
The ceremony began with a wreath-laying and concluded with a visit to the burial site of the victims.
Reaction from the "prime minister"
Separately, according to Turkish Cypriot online media, the "prime minister," Ünal Üstel, rejected the prospect of the return of the fenced-off town of Varosha. He also criticised President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides, describing statements made by the Greek Cypriot side around the anniversary of the invasion as "provocative and unrealistic." He further claimed that the Greek Cypriot leadership disregards what he called the "real facts" on the island.
