Türkiye accuses EU of bias over Cyprus resolution

ANKARA

Türkiye on July 9 rejected a European Parliament resolution concerning the divided island of Cyprus, calling it “null and void” and accusing EU institutions of adopting a biased stance on the decades-old dispute.

In a statement, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry said the resolution included “baseless and preposterous accusations” against the Turkish Armed Forces.

“The resolution adopted by the European Parliament, which contains baseless and preposterous accusations against the heroic Turkish Armed Forces, is null and void,” the ministry said.

Ankara also voiced support for a statement by the Turkish Cypriot Foreign Ministry, which condemned the decision and accused it of reflecting what it called the EU’s “biased and distorted” approach to the Cyprus issue.

Authorities said the resolution distorted Türkiye’s 1974 military intervention on the island and unfairly targeted Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot community. It accused the European Parliament of ignoring violence suffered by Turkish Cypriots and repeating Greek Cypriot positions.

The Turkish Cypriot administration called on the European Parliament to abandon what it described as one-sided approaches.

The European Parliament adopted the resolution on alleged sexual violence suffered by Cypriot women during the 1974 operation with 575 votes in favor, 33 against and 43 abstentions.

All six Greek Cypriot members of the parliament voted in favor of the report, while its rapporteur on Türkiye, Nacho Sanchez Amor, was among those who abstained.

The rejection of a U.N. peace plan by Greek Cypriot voters in a 2004 referendum meant the southern administration entered the EU that year still as a divided island, with Turkish Cypriots denied the full benefits of membership. The northern part is recognized only by Ankara.

Efforts to reunify Cyprus under a bi-zonal, bicommunal federation have remained stalled since U.N.-sponsored talks collapsed in 2017. The newly elected Turkish Cypriot administration had pledged to revive negotiations before taking office.