Sanctions restricting the entry to Turkey of “more than 15” Cypriots have been lifted, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said.
“The restrictions on entry to Turkey for a certain number of our friends have been lifted. I informed them individually. So, there is such a development. To put it roughly, I am talking about a figure of more than 15,” he said at a press conference.
He added that “we will continue our consultations, efforts, and work on this issue”, and that “as you know, this matter needs to be addressed seriously and calmly”.
A number of Cypriots had found themselves on one of Turkey’s N-82 and G-82 lists, both of which entail restrictions on one’s entry to the country.
Having one’s name on the former means that one must apply in advance to the Turkish embassy in their country for pre-clearance to enter the country, while being on the G-82 list entails an outright ban from entering Turkey.
Neither list is publicly available, and as such, those on it generally do not find out until they arrive in Turkey.
The N-82 designation is listed by the Turkish government as “juristic preference” – in short, that Turkey has decided to exempt the individual from the unabridged right of entry. The G-82 designation is reserved for individuals deemed by the Turkish government to have “acted against national security”.
Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel appeared less than pleased with Erhurman’s announcement, saying that he is “closely following the political assessments and public statements” made on the matter.
“First and foremost, it should be known that this process has been underway for approximately four years with the knowledge and oversight of our government. We are aware of all developments related to this matter, and we received good news regarding the individuals involved from the relevant institutions earlier this week,” he said.
He added that “the process is not yet complete” and that “it is still ongoing”, before saying that as such, “we do not find it appropriate to turn such a sensitive process into a success story for a political party, to make it a subject of public polemics, and to use it as political fodder”.
“Those in positions of state responsibility should not evaluate ongoing sensitive processes based on personal or political gain. What is essential for us is that the processes concerning all remaining individuals have been concluded successfully and the entry bans for all our citizens have been lifted,” he said.
He then offered more criticism for Erhurman, saying “we want to state clearly that politically charged statements and public polemics made over ongoing sensitive processes risk undermining the process rather than strengthening it”.
“Especially with regard to other individuals, over whom negotiations are ongoing, any statements which could jeopardise the sensitive contacts and efforts to find solutions should be avoided,” he said.
He was publicly placated by his ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli, who said that “the prime minister is right” as “in almost every meeting we had with Turkish officials, [he] brought up the situation of people who cannot enter Turkey”.
“Even our dear [former Turkish Cypriot leader] Ersin Tatar raised this issue several times in our presence … Of course, President Erhurman has raised this issue every time he has met officials from the Republic of Turkey. I know very well that he even brought up this issue in his meetings when he was leader of [political party] the CTP,” he said.
Moving onto the matter of the restrictions’ lifting, he described the matter as “the goal we conceded”.
“The government worked on it. Tatar worked on it. Of course, [Erhurman] also worked on it. As a result, the ban on those 15 people was lifted. So, who announced this to those 15 people and to the public? President Tufan Erhurman. In that case, if this is a success, to whom should credit go? Of course, to the president,” he said.
To this end, he then added, “do not even bother, prime minister”, as “we conceded a goal right in the top corner”.
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