Newsroom
Legal actions by the Republic of Cyprus targeting the development and sale of displaced Greek Cypriot land have drawn sharp criticism from northern business leaders, who warn that judicial enforcement is derailing efforts to rebuild diplomatic relations.
The friction follows the detention of a 53-year-old Lithuanian real estate agent at Nice airport in France under a European arrest warrant. The suspect, who has operated a property firm in the occupied areas for 15 years, faces extradition to Nicosia on charges relating to the unauthorized exploitation of Greek Cypriot-owned land.
The dispute centers on thousands of properties left behind by Greek Cypriots in 1974. The Republic of Cyprus views any unauthorized construction, sale, or marketing of these properties as a violation of international law and the legal rights of the original deed holders. Consequently, Nicosia has increasingly turned to European legal channels to penalize foreign operators involved in the real estate sector.
However, representatives of the Turkish Cypriot construction sector argue that using international criminal warrants to settle property disputes poisons the political atmosphere necessary for peace talks. They maintain that the complex issue of land ownership should be resolved exclusively through comprehensive peace negotiations.
Cafer Gurcafer, President of the Turkish Cypriot Building Contractors Association (KTİMB), condemned the French court's decision to review the extradition, describing the prosecution as a "politically motivated action that directly damages the climate of trust and dialogue efforts on the Cyprus issue."
In a formal statement, Gurcafer claimed the Republic of Cyprus is weaponizing European law to project its sovereignty over the occupied areas, an action he argued violates Protocol 10 of the EU Treaty of Accession. He warned that targeting the property sector penalizes the entire economy in that area.
"The property issue cannot be resolved through arrest warrants, but only within the framework of a comprehensive political settlement," Gurcafer stated.
The suspect defended her business activities in a social media video recorded during her detention in France. She claimed to have established "a licensed company following legal procedures in the northern part of the island and operates in accordance with the law."
With information from CNA and Haber Kibris.
