Photographer and content creator Bora Markovic is to receive a Cypriot passport after waiting more than 30 years, the Ministry of Interior told en.philenews on Monday.
Markovic arrived in Cyprus at the age of ten and has lived on the island since the 1990s, promoting the country internationally through his photography on social media.
His applications for naturalisation were rejected repeatedly over what AKEL parliament member Christos Christofides described as a bureaucratic gap: a break in his residence permit dating back to the 1990s, when Markovic was a minor. Christofides raised the case with the Interior Minister earlier this year.
In a response dated July 13, Ioannou said Markovic’s most recent application, submitted on November 28, 2019, had been rejected on May 3, 2023. As no new application was pending, no further action could be taken, he said, but Markovic could submit a new one, which would be examined on the facts and the law in force at the time.
Ioannou also noted that the Council of Ministers may, in exceptional cases, grant honorary naturalisation for reasons of public interest. Those eligible include figures from the arts and culture who have provided exceptional services to Cyprus through their work, on the recommendation of the Deputy Ministry of Culture.
