The issue of renaming Kemal Ataturk Street in the former Turkish Cypriot neighbourhood of Mouttallos in Paphos appears to be turning into a 'ball' passed between services, as following the decision of the city’s Municipal Council to remove the current name, the process of selecting a new name has not yet progressed, with the state machinery and local authorities engaging in a back‑and‑forth shifting of responsibility on the matter.
The issue does not concern only matters of local government but also touches on sensitive aspects of the Cyprus problem, as the area in question was a Turkish Cypriot neighbourhood before 1974 and the street name is linked to Turkey’s leader, Kemal Ataturk. The discussion that has opened around the renaming has triggered reactions and concern, as some express worries about the impact such a decision may have on relations between the two communities and on the broader climate surrounding the Cyprus issue.
Not discussed again in the Municipal Council
According to information from Politis, following the relevant decision by the Paphos Municipal Council, the issue has not returned for discussion within the body, while no official proposal for the new name has been formally submitted.
The only exception is a personal opinion that was reportedly expressed informally outside institutional procedures, without taking the form of an official proposal.
Sources told Politis that the Paphos Municipality sent a letter to the Ministry of Interior requesting guidance on the institutional and procedural framework governing the decision‑making process for a new name. The aim, according to the same information, is for the Municipal Council to have a clear understanding of the steps that must be followed before proceeding with any new decision.
However, so far no response has been received from the Ministry of Interior, resulting in the issue remaining pending.
What the Ministry of Interior says
From the Ministry of Interior’s side, a competent source clarified to Politis that the naming of streets is the exclusive responsibility of the local authority and not the Ministry.
As stated, up to today, 2 June, no relevant letter from the Paphos Municipality has been identified as having been received by the Ministry.
The same source noted that the Ministry’s involvement in such cases is limited to a later stage of the process, when the relevant committee examines the validity and appropriateness of the proposed name.
At the same time, it is revealed that last April the Ministry of Interior received a letter from a representative of ELAM Xylofagou regarding the Ataturk Street issue, which it forwarded to the Paphos Municipality for its own handling.
Clear distance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
A competent source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to a question posed by Politis, categorically clarified that the Ministry has absolutely no jurisdiction over the matter.
The same source pointed to the responsibilities of the Ministry of Interior and local government, making it clear that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not become involved in a process that concerns internal administrative decisions.
