DISY and European People’s Party MEP Loucas Fourlas has responded to the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s reaction to a European Parliament resolution addressing atrocities committed during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
In a written statement, Fourlas said Ankara’s response demonstrated that the resolution’s message had reached its intended recipient, adding that efforts to secure justice and compensation for victims would continue.
Ankara’s reaction to the resolution
Fourlas described the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s response as the strongest confirmation of the resolution’s importance.
“When Turkey is disturbed by the truth, it means that we did our job correctly,” he said.
As rapporteur for the initiative, Fourlas said he was proud that, five decades later, the European Parliament had recognised and condemned acts of rape, sexual abuse and violence suffered by hundreds of women, girls and men during the Turkish invasion.
Call for recognition and justice
The MEP said that no official statement or attempt to distort history could erase the war crimes that were committed.
“Historical truth cannot be erased through statements or extinguished through propaganda,” he said.
Fourlas called on Turkey to acknowledge its responsibility and deliver justice to the victims, rather than criticising the European Parliament.
Push for compensation
He stressed that the resolution did not mark the end of the campaign, but the beginning of a new effort focused on securing justice and compensation for victims of war crimes committed in Cyprus.
Fourlas said the development represented a long-overdue form of recognition for women who had suffered in silence for decades.
“The truth cannot be silenced, memory cannot be erased and justice is not subject to limitation,” he concluded.
