Greek Cypriots target new EU Commissioner Füle

In a letter sent to all 736 members of the European Parliament, a Greek Cypriot MEP, apparently angry with Mr. Füle’s reference to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, said it was essential to “debunk” the notion of Turkish Cypriot isolation being imposed by the government of Cyprus.

Signed by Socialist Greek Cypriot MEP Antigoni Papadopoulou and sent on March 4, the letter argued that talking of the need to end the Turkish Cypriots’ isolation served only to encourage Turkish Cypriot intransigence in negotiations. In his two-page letter the Greek Cypriot deputy argued that there was no isolation whatsoever and there was only one problem -- the Turkish invasion and military expansionism. The letter didn’t mention the Greek Cypriot junta that toppled then-Cypriot President Makarios in 1974 in a bid to annex the island to Greece, which triggered the Turkish military intervention.

Despite the Greek Cypriots’ veto of the direct trade regulation prepared in the summer of 2004 after the Turkish Cypriots supported the Annan plan and the Greek Cypriots rejected it, the letter claimed just the opposite. “The Republic of Cyprus has taken progressive measures to promote the April 26, 2004, European Council Conclusions which seek to integrate Turkish Cypriots and create a positive climate for a viable and long-lasting solution.”

Angry with Commissioner Füle’s frequent references to direct trade, the Greek Cypriot MEP argued that the underdevelopment of the Turkish part of the island was justified because of the Turkish “invasion.” “The underdevelopment of the economy in the occupied part of Cyprus is significantly attributed to the policies of the Turkish military occupation which actively discourage trade through the Green Line whilst advocating ‘direct’ trade in efforts to promote recognition of the illegal regime, preferring instead to accuse the Republic of Cyprus of Turkish Cypriot ‘isolation’.”

Though two of the six seats allocated to Cyprus in the European Parliament are for Turks, Greek Cypriots occupy all of them with no objection from the European Parliament.

On April 24, 2004, Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots voted on the Annan plan to reunify the island in simultaneous referenda. While the Turkish Cypriots approved the plan, Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected it. A week after giving a resounding “no” to the Annan plan, Greek Cyprus became an EU member representing the whole island, on May 1, 2004.

On April 26, two days after the vote, EU foreign ministers, angry at the Greek Cypriot rejection, made the decision to lift the isolation of Turkish Cyprus. However, Greek Cyprus vetoed all subsequent initiatives to lift the isolation once they became members. Then-Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen publicly stated that he felt “cheated” by then-Greek Cypriot President Tasos Papadopoulos.