Turkish Cypriots’ exclusion from Erasmus programme ‘unacceptable’

It is “unacceptable” for Turkish Cypriots to be excluded from the European Union’s Erasmus exchange programme, the European Parliament’s Culture Committee declared on Wednesday.

The matter of Turkish Cypriots’ exclusion from the programme was brought to the committee by Cypriot MEP Niyazi Kizilyurek, who said “the exclusion of Turkish Cypriots from the programme contradicts both the decisions and the practices of the EU regarding Turkish Cypriots.”

Committee members requested information and clarification from the Republic of Cyprus’ relevant authorities regarding the issue but said that the responses given “were neither sufficient nor convincing.”

They added that “Turkish Cypriots should be able to participate in the programme just as any other Europeans can,” and called for “urgent measures” to be taken.

Additionally, they expressed their “discomfort with the Republic of Cyprus and the EU for not finding a solution to the problem so far.”

In specifics, the matter pertains to Turkish Cypriots studying at universities in the north, which are excluded from the programme entirely, despite universities in both the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey both being incorporated into the Erasmus programme and even having exchange programmes with each other.