The north’s ‘foreign ministry’ on Friday night decried the resolution passed by the European parliament earlier in the week on the arrests of five Greek Cypriots in the north, describing it as “slander”.

“The decision … which is incompatible with legal facts, constitutes a clear attempt to interfere with the independence of our judiciary and entirely reflects the views of the Greek Cypriot side,” it began.

It added that the resolution “constitutes a new example of the European Union’s ongoing prejudiced stance on the Cyprus issue”, and that as such, “these and similar decisions and approaches are the clearest example of why the European Union can never be impartial or fair on the Cyprus issue.

“We utterly reject the unfounded, historically and legally baseless allegations… The language used in the resolution clearly disregards the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot side over the island,” it said.

It then added that “the only occupation of this island was the usurpation of the 1960 partnership state by the Greek Cypriot side”, before criticising the resolution’s decision to “characterise North Cyprus as ‘EU territory’”.

This, it said, “clearly demonstrates the extent to which the European Union is disconnected from the legal and practical realities on the island.

“As we have repeatedly emphasised, ongoing judicial proceedings in our country are conducted within the framework of the principles of judicial independence and the rule of law, guaranteed by our constitution. In the TRNC, a democratic state governed by the rule of law, our citizens and foreigners within our borders are treated equally without discrimination and fully enjoy their right to a fair trial,” it said.

A total of 597 of the 602 members of the European parliament who were present voted in favour of the motion, which stated that parliament “strongly condemns the unlawful and politically motivated detention of five Greek Cypriot citizens by the Turkish military occupying regime and calls for their immediate and unconditional release”.

It also condemned what it described as “the occupying regime’s disregard for every notion of justice and its attempt at abduction and hostage-taking to escalate intimidation, and to target and influence those who attempt to visit their ancestral properties”.

It urged Turkey to “provide the detainees with access to immediate medical care”, and called on the European Commission and the European external action service – the EU’s equivalent of a foreign ministry – to “take all necessary measures, including considering punitive measures, to secure their release”.

The five Greek Cypriots were arrested in July, and all five have been released on bail this week after the north’s supreme court found in two separate cases that the remand orders against them had been handed down illegally.

The two trials they face are set to continue next week.