Solving the Cyprus Property Conundrum
ECHR ruling a victory for common sense and Cyprus
On 5 July 1994, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) gave judgement in proceedings initiated by the Greek Cypriots (Case C-432/92) in the English courts. The Court held that member states of the EU could only import fruits and vegetables carrying certificates of origin from the “Republic of Cyprus”. Countries then came under Greek Cypriot pressure to stop their imports of North Cyprus citrus and other agricultural products.
On 1 March 2001, the Greek Cypriot daily Alithia reported that when the Greek Cypriot administration discovered that Turkish Cypriot company Cypruvex was exporting citrus produce to Russia and Ukraine, it protested to their embassies in South Cyprus and requested an official explanation.
Norway prevented from importing potatoes from North CyprusNorwegian company Trygve Tønjum Import AS had, for some time, been importing potatoes from North Cyprus. Until 1997, the Norwegian agricultural authorities accepted certificates issued by the Turkish Cypriot authorities. However, as a result of strong protests from the Greek Cypriot administration, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a letter dated 9 April 1997, told its Ministry of Agriculture that only certificates issued only by the “Republic of Cyprus” would be accepted for imports from Cyprus that required health certificates.
Acting upon the request of their Foreign Ministry, the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture circulated an instruction (Circular M-18/97) on 23 April 1997 that, as from 1 October 1997, certificates issued by the Turkish Cypriot authorities would no longer be valid to Norway. Trygve Tønjum Import AS decided to challenge the Norwegian Government’s decision in the courts. However, importing potatoes from North Cyprus into Norway remains banned until the judicial process is completed.
Global bank HSBC is the current Greek Cypriot targetOne of the most recent examples of the Greek Cypriot administration’s aggressive campaign to preserve the embargoes has been directed against global banking giant HSBC following the launch of its operations in North Cyprus. HSBC became the first major foreign bank to open branches in the North when it took over Turkish bank Demirbank in 2002.
As soon as the details of HSBC’s involvement in North Cyprus was made public, the Greek Cypriot authorities began to campaign for their withdrawal. A senior manager from the Greek Cypriot Central Bank went to London to pressure the British Financial Services Authority to stop HSBC’s operations in the North. According to a report in the Greek Cypriot paper The Cyprus Weekly on 11 January 2002, the Greek Cypriot Finance Minister Mr. Takis Clerides issued threats and stated that, “If after this, more needs to be done, we will do what it takes and act accordingly.”
Tourism in North fails to take off due to Greek Cypriot pressureFor years, the Greek Cypriot administration has sought to prevent the tourism sector from developing in the North. The Greek Cypriot paper The Cyprus Weekly reported on 7 September 2001, that American soldiers stationed in Incirlik, Turkey, were forced to cut short their holiday to North Cyprus as a result of the Greek Cypriot administration’s protests. Furthermore, the Greek Cypriot administration periodically sends notices to foreign tour operators in order to discourage them from sending tourists to the TRNC.
Even with the lifting of the border restrictions between North & South Cyprus, the Greek Cypriots continue to prevent visitors to the North from buying goods, including souvenirs, and bringing them back into South Cyprus. Anyone caught is fined and the goods confiscated.
Embargoes exists even in Cyprus’ only mixed villageIn Cyprus’ only mixed village, Pyla, which is in the UN controlled buffer zone, the Greek Cypriot authorities prevent both Greek Cypriots and visiting tourists from buying anything from Turkish Cypriots. People that purchase such goods are arrested and fined or jailed by the Greek Cypriot authorities.
On 20 March 2001, the Greek Cypriot daily Politis reported that the Greek Cypriot police stopped the car of Greek Cypriot Theofilos Papapetru (51) on the Larnaca-Pyla road and found four cases of fish worth 337 Cyprus Pounds (CYP) in his possession. The fish was confiscated and Papapetreu was put under arrest for two days.
On 27 October 2000, the Greek Cypriot daily The Cyprus Mail reported that a British expatriate, Mr. Robert Jagger, who resided in Paralimni, South Cyprus, was arrested by Greek Cypriot police for shopping in a Turkish Cypriot owned shop in Pyla. In a letter to The Cyprus Mail, Mr. Jagger said he and his son had bought two t-shirts each and two pairs of boots from the shop, but were stopped by a plain-clothed police officer as they were leaving the village. The men were arrested and taken first to a nearby police station, and then to Larnaca Airport where the customs officer fined them 30 CYP, telling them they could collect the goods when they left the island.
Mr. Jagger complained that he did not know buying goods from Pyla was considered illegal by the Greek Cypriot authorities and that he had not seen any signs warning tourists about such purchases. The Greek Cypriot Superintendent Divisional Commander for Larnaca admitted there were no such notices in the village and that they would consider erecting signs in Pyla reminding people it is illegal to buy goods there.
EU softens embargo blow to North CyprusIn 2002, taking into consideration the adverse effect of the 1994 European Court of Justice decision, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (in Resolution 1267) called upon the European Union to create a clearing mechanism to enable products and goods from North Cyprus to be exported to the EU without being hampered by the political differences among the two “entities” in Cyprus. This has not materialised due to the ongoing objectives and intransigence of the Greek Cypriot authorities.
The Greek Cypriot authorities claim that all ports in the North Cyprus are “illegal” has resulted in the international community restricting not only the freedom of movement of Turkish Cypriots, but also international visitors who would like to travel to the North.
Travel to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) can only take place via Turkey. This requirement of a stopover in Turkey increases the time and cost of the flight, which hampers trade, causes excessive and unnecessary inconvenience to visitors and discourages them from visiting North Cyprus.
When challenged by the Turkish Cypriot authorities, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), in a letter dated 29 December 1986, refused to include the North Cyprus Ercan state airport as an internationally recognised airport on the alleged grounds that “ICAO recognizes the government of the Republic of Cyprus as the only legitimate government of that State.... (and) the government of the Republic of Cyprus has not requested the inclusion of Ercan airport in the ICAO Regional Plan and as such it is not and cannot be considered an international airport in ICAO terms.”
The Greek Cypriot administration refuses entry for all foreign visitors into South Cyprus if these visitors have chosen to enter into the island through the seaports and airports in the TRNC.
On 19 June, 2001 the Greek Cypriot daily Machi reported that Mr. Osman Kein from Sierra Leone entered the island through the TRNC and was arrested when he crossed into South Cyprus and sentenced to jail for three months for entering the island through a Turkish Cypriot port.
Fines imposed on ships that dock in North CyprusThe Greek Cypriot authorities have sought to obstruct travel and trade through North Cyprus by imposing penalties on foreign ships that call at these ports and then visit Greek Cypriot ones. Penalties can be financial or, in some cases, have resulted in the arrest of ship captains. Moreover, the Greek Cypriot authorities have put pressure on foreign countries not to allow North Cyprus registered ships to dock at their seaports.
At a press conference on 2 April 2001, the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Glafcos Clerides admitted that they imposed an embargo on all TRNC ports, including airports and that the “…embargo wouldn’t be lifted until the Cyprus question was solved.”
The extent of the sports embargoes against Turkish Cypriots is vast. No teams or individuals from North Cyprus have participated at any of the following since December 1963:
International teams and events are also lobbied by Greek Cypriots to deter them from hosting or participating in events in North Cyprus.
On 13 June 1998, the Greek Cypriot daily Machi reported that Mr. Piter Oto Meyer, a German captain whose yacht had anchored at Kyrenia harbour as part of the International Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally, was arrested by the Greek Cypriot administration during a visit to the port of Limassol, South Cyprus. Mr. Meyer was under arrest for three days and was fined 450 Cyprus pounds.
On 7 May, 2001 the Greek Cypriot daily newspaper Politis reported that the Greek Cypriot administration sent protest letters to the participating nations of the 12th International Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally in a failed effort to prevent contestants passing through Kyrenia (Girne) harbour during the competition.
Olympic spirit fails Greek CypriotsIn 2004, Greek Cypriots prevented the Olympic torch from travelling into North Cyprus as part of its global journey before reaching Athens for the 2004 Olympic Games.
Even ‘friendly’ football matches are bannedIn April 2005, Cyprus Football Association (the Greek Cypriot football authorities), prevented an English team, Huddersfield Town AFC, from playing a friendly football match in North Cyprus.
In February 1998, the Greek Cypriot Football Federation protested to the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) about a Turkish Cypriot proposal to hold unofficial ‘friendship’ games in the TRNC. The Greek Cypriot Football Federation went as far as sending some of its officials to FIFA Headquarters in Zurich in order to prevent the Turkish Cypriot proposal from being accepted. They alleged that this would lead to the recognition of the Turkish Cypriot Football Federation, even though this body was permitted under the 1960 Cyprus Constitution, which would effectively lift the sporting embargoes against North Cyprus. In the end, the games were cancelled.
In September 1998, FIFA fined a German soccer team, Bad Lippspinge, 20,000 US dollars for having a football match with the Turkish Cypriot team Çetinkaya.
Brave Germans resist Greek Cypriot pressure for sports embargoesThe Greek Cypriot representatives in Berlin exerted extensive pressure on the town of Waldkirchen and the Commission for Youth and Sport (Ausschuss für Jugend und Sport) to prevent matches between a Turkish Cypriot football team and two German teams. In spite of this, the German Football Association did not cancel the games and the matches between Çetinkaya and two German soccer teams, SV Hutthrum and TSV Waldkirchen, went ahead in June 2000 in Böhmzwiesel, Germany.
Although both peoples in Cyprus have always had rights to separate educational systems under the 1960 Constitution, to ensure their distinct ethnic, religious and cultural identities are maintained, the Greek Cypriots consistently fail to honour this. As shown below, even academic institutions are prone to Greek Cypriot pressure.
A protocol for mutual cooperation and collaboration between North Cyprus’ Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) and Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) was signed six years ago. When Greek Cypriots side learned of this, the Greek Cypriot envoy in Washington DC lost no time in writing a strongly worded letter to the CCSU president. The letter went so far as to threaten the president of the university with legal action in the event that the CCSU failed to cease all cooperation with EMU.
Miss Katerina Delli, a Greek beauty queen arrived in North Cyprus on 5 June 2000 to take part in the Miss Globe Beauty Contest. To be hosted five days later in Girne, the event was to be a demonstration of friendship and peace. Yet Miss Delli was forced to withdraw from the contest and leave North Cyprus within a few days, as a result of the intense pressure the Greek Cypriot side applied to the Government of Greece, and on Miss Delli and her family.
The Greek Cypriot administration was especially critical of Miss Delli for her pose in front of the Turkish Cypriot flag. In an official statement on 8 June 2000, the Greek Cypriot administration claimed that Miss Delli had acted illegally and committed an offence by visiting the TRNC. The Greek Cypriots went as far as portraying the Greek beauty queen as a “traitor” and she was stripped of her title when she returned to Greece.
