Turkish Cypriot CTP party leader Tufan Erhurman said on Monday it is the of children of mixed marriages to gain citizenship of the Republic of Cyprus and should not be presented as a favour.
Erhurman was commenting after the government announced 14 measures on Friday to help bring Turkish Cypriots closer to the Republic.
One of the measures was that the government would begin examining a backlog of applications from children of mixed marriages between a Turk and Turkish Cypriot to get Cyprus nationality.
In a post on Sunday evening, the leader of the Turkish Cypriot opposition noted that shortly before the arrival of the UN secretary-general’s envoy to Cyprus it was announced that applications for citizenship would be examined and added that President Nikos Christodoulides had been talking about this package for months.
Referring only to the citizenship issue, Erhurman said that this is neither a “negotiation”, nor a “confidence-building measure” nor an “opening”.
“The issue consists of eliminating human rights violations and eliminating discrimination,” he said.
“We are talking about the rights of these children, Mr Christodoulides. It’s not a favour, it’s a right! What you need to do is to eliminate discrimination and recognise rights as soon as possible! The rest is nonsense!” he said.
Commenting further on the matter on Monday, Disy leader Annita Demetriou said that the measures were a step in the right direction.
“This is the only way to convince our fellow Turkish Cypriots, who also distrust, and the European Union in general to move forward,” she said.
Commenting on criticism from other parties, especially Diko and Edek, she said it is unacceptable that parties agree to have measures, discuss them at the national council and then denounce them once they are announced.
Demetriou later sent a letter to the president requesting him to make his intention regarding the Cyprus problem and the measures clear.
She said proper preparation is needed and Disy’s position to start negotiations from the point where they were broken off in Crans-Montana, based on the Guterres Framework and within the agreed framework of a bizonal bicommunal federation with political equality, needs to be clearly stated.
Regarding the measures for the Turkish Cypriots, it is an undoubtedly positive initiative which can help to achieve a good climate between the two communities, while at the same time sending the right signals to the international community.
On the specific measures mentioned by Demetriou, Disy believes that clarifications are needed to ensure transparency. At the same time, specific suggestions are being made to make the most appropriate preparations.
Elam said in previous days: “The decision in simple terms is unacceptable and reprehensible, since it only offers support and upgrading of the occupation of our homeland.”
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