The European Council of Ministers has narrowly avoided a head-on collision threatening to derail the UN peace talks, by postponing a Greek Cypriot call on May 30th to halt all sales of refugee-owned properties in the TRNC. The Council has announced it will consider the request after March 2017, following Turkish Cypriot and Turkish protests […]
TRNC national treasures are in danger of being stolen or destroyed, claim amateur archaeologists in North Cyprus. Their concerns were raised after a follow-up visit to a site in the Karpaz peninsula in April, where they discovered efforts had been made to try to dislodge pieces of priceless Bronze Age statues. The statues lie near the […]
Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece, the UK’s first and only Turkish Cypriot member of Westminster’s Upper Chamber, and the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Equalities, has been refused an entry visa by the USA. The Muslim Peer was due to represent the UK Parliament as part of the European Parliamentary Forum at two important meetings: at the World […]
The failure by international actors to safeguard the political equality of the two sides could hamper the chances of UN-backed Cyprus Talks reaching a positive resolution in 2016. A mini crisis has been triggered following Nicos Anastasiades’ announcement in February that there is to be a third licensing round to exploit the island’s gas-reserves. The […]
Turkish Cypriot pressure group Embargoed!, has written to EU Commissioners challenging the appointment of Bureau Veritas as controllers of the TRNC’s vital hellim trade. The UK-based group says the PDO process should be suspended immediately because of the lack of consultation with Turkish Cypriots, which puts the EU in breach of its own rules. Exact […]
President Nicos Anastasiades has asked the EU to add Turkish to the bloc’s 24 official languages, in order to boost attempts to reach a reunification agreement on the Mediterranean island, say his aides. The move, rumoured since late January, was confirmed in a letter on Monday 29 February, in which Anastasiades called upon the EU […]
The day after UKIP’s first-ever party political broadcast, the Liberal Democrats made an official complaint to the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom and the BBC over the broadcast’s content, claiming it incited racial and religious hatred. The Lib Dems said the presentation and tone of the broadcast focused on provoking negative and hostile reactions. It uses images, […]
A Turkish Cypriot property seminar held in London has called on TRNC President Akıncı to adopt the “global exchange” solution to overcome problems posed by conflicting Greek and Turkish land claims in Cyprus. Owners say they are afraid their rights are being sacrificed to obtain a quick solution. Many are calling on the TRNC government […]
A Deputy Council Leader in North London criticised Transport for London for allowing adverts for holidays in the TRNC, which he called “insensitive”. Barnet councillor Dan Thomas, who is also standing as Conservative candidate for the Greater London Authority later this year, has called on TfL to remove the adverts. He says the ads on […]
TRNC Foreign Minister Emine Çolak said this week that if the issue of hellim cheese is resolved as a confidence building measure (CMB), with economic benefit to both sides, it will enhance the negotiation process. Any other strategy could have a negative impact on the Talks, which are currently progressing positively, she said. At a […]
