The General Secretary of the National Unity Party (UBP), Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu has said that the latest report prepared by Italian MP Piero Fassino at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) was biased.
Speaking on BRT on Wednesday, where he evaluated the latest PACE report on Maraş by Cyprus Rapporteur Piero Fassino, the UBP General Secretary described the report, as biased.
He noted that the report selectively focused on an issue concerning some Greek Cypriots who lived in the fenced-off town of Maraş before 1974, thereby sidelining broader aspects of the Cyprus issue.
Hasipoğlu emphasized that the Turkish Cypriot community, which voted “YES” to the Annan Plan in 2004, is still being punished.
He further explained that the Immovable Property Commission (IPC), recognized as an effective domestic remedy by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), is the competent authority on all property disputes including those concerning Maraş.
According to Hasipoğlu, 514 Greek Cypriots have so far applied to the Commission concerning properties they left behind in the fenced-off town of Maraş.
Hasipoğlu also firmly stated that the transfer of Maraş to the United Nations is not an option.
Also commenting on the upcoming report by Maria Angela Holguin, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, to António Guterres, Hasipoğlu pointed out that the Greek Cypriot side was insisting on resuming negotiations from where they left off, while the Turkish Cypriot side was demanding recognition of their sovereignty and international equal status first.
“We no longer find the Greek Cypriots sincere. We ask them to first recognize our sovereignty and international equal status, show goodwill, and allow us to establish relations with other world states without obstructions, including direct flights and lifting isolations,” he said.
Hasipoğlu criticized the Greek Cypriot Administration for consistently rejecting Turkish Cypriot demands and expressed his expectation that the report would confirm the lack of common ground.
He emphasized that the Greek Cypriots were unwilling to share the island’s governance and wealth.
He highlighted that despite the Turkish Cypriots’ goodwill in negotiating a federation for 20 years following the Annan Plan, the Greek Cypriots have failed to reciprocate.
Even after the European Union admitted the Greek Cypriots into the EU, the Turkish Cypriot side continued to engage in good faith.
Commenting on ongoing efforts to promote the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), the UBP General Secretary recalled Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s previous speech at the United Nations General Assembly, where he urged world leaders to recognize the TRNC.
Hasipoğlu highlighted the step-by-step development of cooperation with Azerbaijan following Erdoğan’s call for recognition. “A cooperation with the Organization of Turkic States has begun; we have started exporting our citrus and some industrial products to Azerbaijan. These developments, of course, cause concern for the Greek Cypriot Administration and the European Union,” Hasipoğlu said.