Speaking on Monday, Justice Minister Costas Fitiris said the Republic of Cyprus was obliged to comply with the agreement signed with Israel for the transfer of convicts to their country of origin, with regard to Israel's request for the transfer of Simon Aykut, sentenced to five years in prison for usurping Greek Cypriot property.
"Israel has requested the transfer of Simon Aykut to Israel to serve his sentence there. We have an obligation to comply with this agreement, and we know that this is a very sensitive issue due to the misappropriation of Greek Cypriot property in the occupied territories. To be honest, to date I have signed fifteen such requests for other countries. However, in this particular case, all factors relating to the public interest are being weighed up," said the minister in response to a reporter's question on the matter.
What we have secured in a way from Israel, he continued, "is that it recognizes the usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied territories." The second, he said, is that "a travel directive has been issued and renewed, recommending that Israelis not buy properties that have been built on Greek Cypriot properties."
He also said that "at some point we have to respond, otherwise we will suffer consequences, not in our relations with Israel, because we are not complying with an existing agreement, but also from those who have signed this agreement".
Regarding Aykut's remaining sentence, Fitiris noted that "due to his age, he may be released halfway through his sentence. Therefore, we are now talking about whether he will remain in prison for another 6-8 months. Therefore, I believe that we cannot risk the public interest for six months in prison. The important thing is that he has been convicted and the other state, Israel, has recognized that his conviction was for the usurpation of Greek Cypriot property."
Source: CNA