Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu on Wednesday expressed the view that the status of the EU’s diplomatic office in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) should be reviewed.

Ertuğruloğlu said that it was inconsistent and contradictory for the EU to have an office with diplomatic immunity in the TRNC, which it does not recognize.

Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu Wednesday criticized the latest statements made by Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos, who admitted that they were using their EU membership to prevent efforts to increase the visibility of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the international arena, to raise its international status and achieve political recognition.

Noting that the Greek Cypriot Administration had openly admitted that it has used the EU trump card against the TRNC, Ertuğruloğlu said, “The Greek Cypriot Administration feels no hesitation or shame in demanding that the EU take on a more active role on the Cyprus issue.  On the other hand, the EU maintains a so-called “support office” in the TRNC which enjoys all diplomatic rights and benefits, despite the fact that the bloc does not recognize the TRNC as a state. This office is sabotaging the status and foundations of the TRNC with its activities. The EU feels no shame in doing so either.”

Ertuğruloğlu also said that the EU should explain itself as to how it has a diplomatic mission in a country that it does not recognize. “While all this is going on, there is an admiration for the EU. Buying people and sabotaging the state has become acceptable for some. TRNC-EU relations and the diplomatic status of the EU’s Office in the TRNC should be reviewed,” he added.