German Bundestag member Maximilian Krah, who belongs to the country’s largest opposition party, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), on Tuesday visited the north, holding a meeting with ‘parliament speaker’ Ziya Ozturkler and Turkish Cypriot representative at the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe Hasan Tacoy.

“People do not want to come here to see and talk about the reality” of the island, he said during the meeting, before adding that he is “aware of the historical dimension of what the Turkish Cypriot people have experienced”.

On this front, he said that “if a solution is desired in Cyprus, the sides should come together and discuss all issues directly”.

He then said that his plans to visit the north had been “met with great opposition” in Germany, where the country’s parliamentary human rights committee had twice rejected the plans.

“The difficulties faced by Turkish Cypriots are unacceptable. They cannot travel anywhere in the world without a second passport and cannot participate in sporting events,” he said.

He went on to describe himself as “a member of parliament who prioritises Germany’s interests” and said on this point that “the disorder and instability in the region are significant for global security”, and that “this situation hinders economic development and jeopardises regional security”.

Returning to the matter of the Cyprus problem, he said that “I believe that this issue must now be resolved, because the number of those who want a solution is greater than those who want to prevent it”.

“I want to be a part of this progress,” he added.

AfD, north, Ziya Ozturkler, Cyprus problem, Cyprob
Maximilian Krah

Ozturkler, meanwhile, said that Krah’s contacts in the north will “contribute to raising awareness among a wider audience in Europe and in Germany regarding the unjust isolation and obstacles faced by the Turkish Cypriot people for years”, before adding that “this should now be seen by the world”.

“I respectfully salute [Krah’s] courage, heart and stance towards the Turkish Cypriot people,” he said.

He, too, touched on the matter of regional geopolitics, saying that “the rules of the powerful prevail in the world, and the Turkish Cypriot people are being made victims”, before calling for “the lifting of the unjust isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people”.

“Let all parliamentarians from around the world come here, contact us, conduct investigations and report what they see. We are open to this. However, we want direct contact and relations to be established, and for the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people to be respected,” he said.

Tacoy said that “the aim” of Krah’s visit is “to tell the world about the difficulties we are experiencing”.

“The aim is to enable the world to better understand what the Turkish Cypriot people are experiencing, what obstacles the TRNC faces and the effects of the policies being implemented by the south,” he said.

He added that “the Turkish Cypriot people have their red lines, and they must explain their just cause in Europe without abandoning these red lines”.

Krah was elected to the Bundestag at last year’s election, having previously served as a member of the European Parliament since 2019.