The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted a report into the sexual violence suffered by Cypriot women during Turkey’s invasion in 1974, with 575 votes in its favour, 33 votes against and 43 abstentions.

All six Cypriot MEPs voted in favour of the report, though the parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, Nacho Sanchez Amor, was among the abstainers.

On Tuesday, Greek MEP Eleonora Meleti of ruling party Nea Dimokratia, the rapporteur for sexual violence suffered by Cypriot women during Turkey’s invasion in 1974, implored her fellow MEPs to endorse her report, saying that “this is not just a resolution on Cyprus which I am asking you to support”, but “the story behind the resolution”.

“It is the women, the girls, those who left, those who are still here, those who we met a year ago on our mission, those who told us the darkest stories of violence, despair, humiliation and abuse,” she said.

Meanwhile, Elam MEP Geadis Geadi complained that “while we should be speaking about the obvious, we are here to restore some common sense”.

“It is a shame that senior officials of the European Union, [foreign policy chief Kaja] Kallas and [Enlargement Commissioner Marta] Kos, chose a few days ago to present Turkey as a key strategic partner, talking about deepening cooperation,” he said.

Akel MEP Giorgos Georgiou said that “in 1974, the Turkish armed forces in Cyprus systematically organised sexual violence against Greek Cypriot women and men of all ages”, and that this constitutes “another heinous crime [committed] by Turkey which remains unpunished”.

“However, we must be honest. Barbarities were also committed by Greek Cypriot paramilitary groups against Turkish Cypriot women. Rape has no colour, race, or religion. Wounds are difficult to heal,” he said.

He added that “Cyprus and the European Union have an obligation to ensure the rights, dignity and historical memory of all women in Cyprus” and called for “the common pain [to] become a driving force for bicommunal cooperation and peace on our island”.

However, German MEP Irmhild Bossdorf, of far-right party the Alternative for Germany, lambasted the report as “incomprehensible”.

“We Germans, in particular, know how difficult it is to reconcile decades after the outbreak of a conflict, to resume dialogue and to forgive one another. We have made considerable progress in this with our Polish neighbours. We are now working together in the European Parliament for a Europe of sovereign nations,” she said.

As such, she added, “it is all the more comprehensible, therefore, that the European Parliament’s [gender equality committee (Femm)] has chosen to issue a resolution today concerning the 1974 attacks by Turkish armed forces on Cypriot women and girls”.

To this end, she said that “a hearing involving gender-sensitive [non-government organisations] to formally recognise past witness testimony within the EU’s institutional framework, a retrospective justification of abortions to place them within the international legal context, and EU financial and technical support for gender-sensitive counselling are not the pressing issues between Turkey and Greece”.

Bossdorf was among the 33 votes against the report.