Turkish Cypriots protest against economic protocol with Turkey

Scores of Turkish Cypriots participated in a protest rally on Monday against the economic protocol the north signed with Turkey arguing that such agreements only consolidate Ankara’s grip.

The protest was organised by the platform ‘This country is ours’.

Protesters marched from Kugulu park in the northern part of Nicosia to ‘parliament’ with slogans.

Secretary General of Dev-Is trade union, Omer Nasit, said in a speech at the rally that the protest was over the fiscal ‘protocol’ the north signed with Ankara and other similar agreements which, he said, had no international power and no functionality while their goal was to transfer rule over the north to Ankara.

He also said that with the protocol, the minority government in the north was given the task of creating undemocratic ‘laws’ to keep the people quiet.

According to Nasit, the current ‘government’ is ignoring the public, civil society and ‘parliament’ and does not feel the need to brief anyone of its moves.

Nasit also referred to the first financial protocol signed with Turkey in 1986, adding that since then, the goal was to remove the Turkish Cypriots from the productive chain. Over the years, these protocols have increased the Turkish Cypriots’ dependence on Turkey, he said.

“Our goal is to govern ourselves as part of the international community with the solution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of international law,” he said.

The platform’s members are trade unions and opposition parties.