Akansoy: Measures for Turkish Cypriots are ‘not enough’

Turkish Cypriot opposition party the CTP’s general secretary Asim Akansoy said on Friday the 14-point package of measures for the Turkish Cypriots announced by President Christodoulides “are not enough”.

He added that the measures are “well removed from the goal of commonality, and address symptoms without addressing the root causes” of the problems which negatively impact Turkish Cypriots.

He said that in general, a package of measures “should have addressed urgent needs based on a federal solution and a true European vision.”

“Something is better than nothing, but we needed a different vision and different content,” he said.

To this end, he pointed out the original leaked in August, saying the measures touted at that time “would have had the capacity to make serious progress” as they provided an alternative to “separatist discourse and maximalist, defensive approaches” seen in Cyprus in recent years.

The measures Akansoy mentioned, none of which were included in last week’s announcement, included an extension of Gesy to cover Turkish Cypriots living in the north, finding ways to easier transfer money between Cyprus’ two sides, and establishing peace-driven initiatives and the learning of the ‘opposite’ language in the education sector.

He also registered his approval of the leaked suggestion of the reactivation of the ad hoc committee on the harmonisation of Turkish Cypriots within the European acquis and the Euro, mirroring the CTP’s policy of eventually indexing the north’s fiscal system to the Euro.

Additionally, he pointed out that the list of measures leaked in August included the Republic’s readiness to open new crossing points – something Turkish Cypriots of all political colours have called for in recent years as waiting times to cross between the two sides increase.

On the matter of Turkish Cypriots with one parent from Turkey receiving citizenship, he said the issue is “not a matter for a debate”.

He added, “it is neither acceptable nor debatable for children born from mixed marriages to not be able to inherit citizenship of the Republic of Cyprus.”

Akansoy’s comments come hot on the heels of reactions to the measures made by Serdar Denktash, who described them as an “admission of guilt for usurping our human rights.”

Denktash also called for negotiations to move away from the “exhausted” federal solution basis, though Akansoy’s party the CTP has once again reiterated its support for the federal model.

CTP Leader Tufan Erhurman on Friday described the Turkish Cypriot side’s current distaste for a federal solution as “presenting the position of ‘the leader who wants a solution’ on a silver platter to a person like Nikos Christodoulides.”

He also cast doubt on Christodoulides’ sincerity regarding a solution, saying “Christodoulides was one of those who kicked the table over at Crans Montana in 2017. It’s just logic. Would a person say ‘I walked away from the table that night, but I want to start again from that night?’”