The north’s ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli on Friday suggested that Greek Cypriots who use Turkish Cypriot-owned property vacated between 1963 and 1974 be arrested should they set foot in the north, as a response to the recent arrests of people in the Republic who stand accused of illegally using Greek Cypriot property in the north.
In a post on social media, he said the north should act “based on the principle of reciprocity between states”, and that for this reason, “it is essential that we take similar steps.”
These steps, he said, “include arrests for Greek Cypriots who have any control over Turkish properties in the south.”
“We are obliged to take the necessary legal measures for the arrests of these Greek Cypriots in the north or in Turkey,” he added.
He also said that “the illegal behaviour of the Greek Cypriot side towards Turkish and other nationals who have control over Greek Cypriot property in the north has reached an unacceptable point in recent days.”
“The real reason for these steps being taken by the Greek Cypriots is to ensure that public opinion is formed in the north so that the President [Ersin Tatar] will sit at the negotiation table,” he said.
He added, “in fact, there are some who have already started to use these arrests as an excuse and say, ‘if you run away from the negotiation table, these things will of course happen.
“However, just as there are Greek Cypriots who left property in the north, there are also Turkish Cypriots who left property in the south. Moreover, many of these Turkish Cypriots have not been able to access their property since 1963. Greek Cypriots have been using this Turkish Cypriot property since 1963.”
Arrests have been made in the Republic over the alleged misuse of Greek Cypriot property in the north since the start of the year, with Israeli property developer Simon Mistriel Aykut one of the high-profile arrestees.
He is the founder of the Afik Group, which has carried out various construction projects in Trikomo, many of which are believed to have been carried out on Greek Cypriot land.
Later, a 49-year-old German national was arrested after reportedly having spoken about selling property in the north to an off-duty police officer while aboard a flight to Larnaca airport.
Most recently, a 25-year-old Israeli national was released on a €92,000 bail after having been accused of “misusing” Greek Cypriot property in the north.
At the same time, there have been known cases of Turkish Cypriot property being misused in the Republic.
It was reported in January that around 16,000 decares of Turkish Cypriot-owned farmland near Polis Chrysochous was being cultivated without a lease.
In December, the Republic’s Court of Appeal had rejected a suit for damages by the management of the Ktima Mackenzie venue in Larnaca, which was built on Turkish Cypriot land, after the building was demolished.
The building had been demolished after the two Turkish Cypriot owners of the land had filed suits in Larnaca and were awarded compensation.
Meanwhile, a similar case was filed in the north against Trikomo’s Turkish Cypriot mayor Hasan Sadikoglu and his municipality, with both standing accused of negligence in not having prevented construction projects being undertaken without the relevant permits, and not having stopped them once they were underway.
The case was compiled by environmental advocacy movement the Green Action Group, which said on Thursday that “in these days when lawlessness and disregard for the law have emerged in our country, we will continue to protect our laws and carry on the fight against those who do not.”
