The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday slammed the European Parliament’s 2022 report on Türkiye, stating that it was a collection of unfounded allegations and prejudices based on disinformation by anti-Türkiye circles.

In a written statement, the ministry said that the report was a reflection of European Parliament’s well-known shallow and non-visionary approach not only towards Türkiye-EU relations but also towards the future of the EU.

The statement furthermore said that the allegations that the EP has included in the report regarding the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus issues reflecting unilateral views of certain circles and detached from historical and legal facts are null and void.

“The EP has continued its biased stance regarding Cyprus from previous years and has approved a report that is far from the realities of the island, ignores the existence and inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, and entirely reflects the views of the Greek Cypriot side. As long as the EP persists in this wrong and biased attitude towards the Cyprus issue and the parties in Cyprus, such reports and decisions by the EP are null and void for us,” the statement read

It pointed out that the report emphasizes that insisting on the tried and failed federation model and blaming Türkiye instead of the Greek Cypriot leadership, which was the sole responsible party for the failure of the last negotiation process in Crans-Montana among the parties, is a manifestation of the EP’s detachment from the realities on the island and its blindly pro-Greek Cypriot attitude.

“The EU has created a comfort zone for the Greek Cypriot side, which it made a member of the EU in violation of the 1960 Founding Agreements and EU membership criteria, and this situation has essentially become the biggest obstacle to achieving a lasting settlement on the island. It is clear that this decision by the EP will further complicate any possible reconciliation between the parties,” it warned.

The statement added that the EP’s stance on the construction of the Pile-Yigitler road, initiated entirely for humanitarian purposes to facilitate the access of Turkish Cypriots living in the village of Pile to the territories of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the surrounding areas, was unacceptable.

“We remind that the UN Peacekeeping Force and the UN Security Council have tolerated similar projects by the Greek Cypriot Administration in the past,” the Foreign Ministry said, adding that the road works will be completed as soon as possible.

In reference to baseless allegations made in the report on the fenced-off town of Maraş, the Foreign Ministry stressed that Maraş was part of the TRNC’s territory, and the authority to make decisions regarding this fenced-off area belonged solely to the TRNC government.

“The report by the EP ignores the efforts and appeals of the Turkish Cypriot side in areas such as missing persons, education, and cultural heritage, while advocating for the Greek Cypriots. If the EP wants to be constructive on the Cyprus issue, it should abandon its attitude of ignoring the realities of the island, confirm the equal sovereignty and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriots, and promote cooperation between the two existing states in Cyprus,” the statement read.