Statement from the TRNC Presidency on the European Court of Human Rights

Turkish Republic of the Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar speaks to TAK news agency: "ECtHR judgement has delivered a clear warning to the Greek Cypriot leadership that is spearheading an unjust and unlawful blockade policy". “I underline the importance of the latest judgement by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the K.V. Mediterranean Tours Limited v. Türkiye case, where it has reaffirmed the Immovable Property Commission (IPC) as an effective domestic legal remedy. The IPC exists, functions, and provides solutions.”President Tatar stressed that the judgement serves not only as a legal decision but also as a powerful warning against the oppressive and exclusionary policies long pursued by the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and the Greek Cypriot Administration. 
 
“This judgement illustrates how these policies have failed and lost credibility. The message is clear: It is not possible to reach a solution by ignoring the Turkish Cypriot side and placing our people under a blockade,” the President said.
 
Reiterating his call to the Turkish Cypriot People for “unity” and a “single voice with regards to immovable property,” President Tatar said: “The IPC reflects our people’s trust in our own legal system. The Turkish Cypriot people, who are self-reliant and standing on their own feet, is what is most unsettling for the Greek Cypriot leadership.” President Tatar noted that the ECtHR, in its June 10, 2025 judgement, reaffirmed the legitimacy of the IPC as an effective legal mechanism. “This decision in actual fact reaffirms the righteousness of our long-standing legal and political struggle. This is not the first such judgement by the ECtHR, which has endorsed the IPC’s existence, functionality and jurisdiction. It has been consistently upheld by the ECtHR. What is however new in this judgement, is that the Greek Cypriot side’s efforts to ignore this legal body have once again been rejected at the international level.”

Statement of the TRNC Presidency

“The European Court of Human Rights has once again reaffirmed that the Immovable Property Commission provides an effective domestic legal remedy that must be exhausted.”
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has today made a judgement in the K.V. Mediterranean Tours Limited v. Türkiye case, where it has reaffirmed that the Immovable Property Commission (IPC) constitutes an effective domestic legal remedy, that must be exhausted in relation to claims concerning immovable properties abandoned by Greek Cypriots in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The ECtHR emphasised that restitution of property is not the only effective remedy for immovable properties abandoned by Greek Cypriots in the TRNC, and that decisions providing a legal remedy based on compensation or exchange that can be granted by the IPC are equally valid forms of redress. The Court also clarified that the involvement of judges from the High Administrative Court in matters concerning immovable properties claimed by Greek Cypriots does not give rise to a conflict of interest. Furthermore, the ECtHR found that the IPC’s decision to include the Foundations (Vakıflar) Administration as an intervening party in the process regarding the property located in Maraş was in compliance with the principle of a fair trial.

In reference to the recent statistics concerning the progress made by the IPC, the ECtHR also underlined the importance of maintaining these positive developments consistently.  The Court noted that there were some delays in the proceedings before the IPC, partly due to the applicant, and stated that it would be beneficial for TRNC authorities to participate in IPC proceedings in a timely manner and to provide remedies for delayed adjudication. On these grounds, the Court held that Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights was violated on procedural grounds in this application.

This decision by the ECtHR serves as a response to the Greek Cypriot side, which pursues an aggressive policy against our citizens by ignoring our property regime and its integral component, the IPC.

The IPC exists and continues to function effectively.

For Greek Cypriots who abandoned their properties in 1974, the first and only address for their claims is the IPC.

We reiterate our call to the Greek Cypriot side to comply with its obligation towards ECtHR judgments. We call for an immediate end to the oppressive and hostile attitude that targets our citizens acting in accordance with the property regime endorsed by the ECtHR, and that seeks to punish them individually in clear violation of human rights. We strongly emphasise that such practices are incompatible with international law and may lead to serious consequences.
 
Öztürkler meets Gafarova

Ziya Öztürkler, Speaker of the TRNC Parliament, participated in the 14th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), upon the official invitation of Yerlan Koshanov, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. During his official visit to Astana, speaker Öztürkler met with Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, according to a statement released by the TRNC Parliament. The meeting was also attended by Cevanşir Feyziyev, Chairman of the Azerbaijan-TRNC Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group and several members of Parliament.
The meeting addressed the political, cultural, and historical relations between the two countries, interparliamentary cooperation, and strategies for joint action within the Turkic World.
 
Minister Çavuşoğlu slams Greek Cypriot Education Minister over EOKA remarks

TRNC Minister of National Education Nazım Çavuşoğlu has strongly condemned recent statements made by Greek Cypriot Minister of Education Athena Michaelidou over her remarks praising the EOKA terror organisation and promoting its “heroism” and the “will to return to occupied lands” in the school curriculum.
In his official statement, Minister Çavuşoğlu said: "I read with deep regret the remarks made by Greek Cypriot Minister of Education Athena Michaelidou, in which she asserted that children are being taught about the 'heroism and patriotism' of the terrorist organization EOKA and are being instilled with a determination to “return to the occupied territories”.
He condemned the hateful language used as being completely contrary to the culture of peace, mutual respect in education, and efforts for a solution.
Minister Çavuşoğlu further emphasized that educational institutions are ‘responsible for preparing young generations for the future in line with the principles of peace, tolerance, and coexistence’ and said “It is both unacceptable and alarming to glorify a group responsible for the deaths of thousands and known for ethnic cleansing against Turkish Cypriots,”.
 “Such discourse is a dangerous approach which harms peace and reconciliation efforts in Cyprus, encourages the raising of young generations with hatred and grudges, and completely politicises the field of education,” he said.
“Our children should be raised not with hostility or hatred, but with the values of science, art, peace, and human rights. Our young generations, as the guarantors of our future, should be taught the language of peace, not of war,” he stressed, adding that “the seeds of hostility should never be sowned within any education system.
He concluded his statement by urging, “We call on the Greek Cypriot Education Ministry to act with common sense and immediately abandon hate speech.”