The Speaker of Parliament Zorlu Töre was the latest to slam the Speaker of the Greek Cypriot House of Representatives Annita Demetriou for her remarks comparing the Russian invasion of Ukraine to Türkiye’s presence in Cyprus.

He said that it was painful and disappointing to see how the Greek Cypriot side has even attempted to exploit the humanitarian drama in Ukraine to spread its anti-Turkish policies.

The Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly Zorlu Töre on Tuesday lashed out at the Greek Cypriot House of Representatives Annita Demetriou who accused Türkiye of being an “occupier” in Cyprus.

She compared Türkiye’s presence on the island with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In a written statement, Töre said that Demetriou had stepped up her statements targeting Türkiye following her election as leader of the Democratic Rally (DISY) party in South Cyprus.

“If her aim is to win points within her own party, she is in for a serious disappointment,” said Töre, accusing her of exploiting South Cyprus’s unjustly and unlawfully acquired EU membership to project anti-Turkish sentiment in line with the Greek Cypriot side’s policy.

The TRNC parliamentary speaker said that Demetriou’s attempts to create the perception that Türkiye’s military intervention in 1974 deriving from her international rights as a guarantor power was an invasion was a distortion of the facts.

He also described her efforts as disappointing and thought-provoking.

Töre reminded that the Greek Cypriot side has rejected all proposals and solution plans tabled to date, proving time and time again that it had no will or intention to share power or sovereignty with the Turkish Cypriots.

He added that the Greek Cypriot side’s intransigent, insatiable and spoilt stance was undermining all efforts by the EU and international community in the direction of world peace and prosperity.

“We would like to remind the Greek Cypriot speaker and the Greek Cypriot House of Representatives that their only interlocutor on the Cyprus problem was the TRNC parliament and its deputies which are directly elected by the Turkish Cypriot people. There is no chance of achieving a just and lasting solution in Cyprus as long as the Greek Cypriot speaker does not act on the right ground,” Töre concluded.