The European Union has told Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman that it has “carefully noted” his complaints that music festivals and an FC Barcelona football camp were prevented from taking place in the occupied north, Erhurman said on Tuesday night.
In a statement from his “presidency”, Erhurman said he received the reply on Tuesday to letters he sent on August 28 to the parties concerned, mainly the UN and the EU. In them, he cited “growing actions by the Greek Cypriot leadership that undermine trust”, including the two cases, and drew attention to their timing and to the negative atmosphere he said they were creating. The EU said his concerns about their impact on the UN process had also been noted.
According to Erhurman, the reply said the European Commission aimed to build bridges, improve dialogue and promote rapprochement between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, and between Turkish Cypriots and the EU. It referred in that context to a 2004 decision by the Council of the European Union on ending the isolation of Turkish Cypriots.
The letter said civil society and private organisations contributing to the socioeconomic development of Turkish Cypriots, especially young people, were in line with the aims of that decision. The same applied to those helping to build closer ties between Turkish Cypriots and the EU, it added.
It also recalled the UN Secretary-General’s recent visit to the island, stressing that building trust and fostering a positive atmosphere between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots was important for creating an appropriate environment.
Barcelona camp postponed
FC Barcelona postponed a training camp its academy had planned in the occupied north after diplomatic interventions, philenews reported at the time. They included a formal protest from the Cyprus Football Association (CFA), whose president, Charis Loizidis, wrote to the president of the Spanish Football Federation saying the camp would breach the legal and regulatory framework in force. The CFA asked for the camp to be moved to the government-controlled areas of the Republic of Cyprus or not held in Cyprus at all.
Erhurman said then that the participation of young people or clubs from other countries in events in the “TRNC” did not mean those countries recognised it, and that efforts to cancel a festival or stop children playing football were a defeat for everyone.
(Information from Cyprus News Agency)
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