By Chris Elliott….
I have supported the need for and published many articles calling for direct flights to Northern Cyprus from the UK and why not?
Living in Northern Cyprus I do not welcome the prospect of flying to the UK from the south, if they will ever let me pass over, and why should I when I have a local airport close by.
Worse still is that I am 30 to 40 minutes drive from Ercan airport and with the need for a replacement knee joint I am faced with flying to Istanbul and having to get off the plane to be security checked again, at the whim of the UK authorities who are not prepared to come and do a security check of Ercan airport, and then, if I have the right connection, have a further 4 hours flying time into London Stansted and just a short journey to my old home town.
Now the CYPROB has gone on for far too long with the UN kidding themselves they can resolve it and continue to spend money supporting a dead issue. Then we have the EU who support half of the island’s membership and shun the other half.
The only person who could resolve this is a powerful international statesman and like them or not Presidents Trump, Erdogan or Putin would do their own thing and sort the issue if it was theirs to take on.
The person who fits this role is Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was the previous Foreign Minister, and with the EU promising to make a Brexit non-agreement very painful for the UK. Therefore as the former ruler and guarantor of the Cyprus Republic foundation, this is where the unblock starts and finishes with UK Force Majeure and recognition of the TRNC by the UK and starting of Direct Flights which could lead to many opportunities for investment and trading initially through tourism and property purchases.
The EU has a long standing obligation to reward the Turkish Cypriots for their support of the UN Annan plan for reunification but instead, they rewarded south Cyprus with EU membership. This was despite south Cyprus voting against the Annan plan for reunification so the EU has been responsible for the division of the Island.
The EU should, therefore, grant EU membership to the TRNC, or give it recognition as a separate state on the island of Cyprus and stop holding the TRNC to ransom until it surrenders to the south Cyprus EU members veto.
The Naysayers have had their way long enough and now it’s time when justice is seen to be done and the TRNC is treated with respect and friendship by the UK after Brexit is done, so do please make your voice known through the UK Government Petition click here so “Boris can Fixit”!
This petition closes on the 27 January 2021 so have your say now with many thousands of voices calling for change and justice for the TRNC!
We should refuse to participate in any UN discussion of any level until they have lifted the Embargo and given the North Cyprus Equality In all aspects.
That should as a precondition whoever gets elected, otherwise they are a failure whatever else they do.
The international community (that IATA which approves the air routes is part of) would not prefer to recognize breakaway states that emerge from military intervention from a powerful state, because it would encourage such behaviour from other powerful military powers to annex part of their neighbours with ethnic minorities (eg. Russia, China, India).
There are other states that came about in the same manner e.g. Abkhazia, Trans-Dniester. Also the future of Crimea, Donbass or even Taiwan can be affected by the Cyprus Problem outcome.
The EU with its four freedoms could be a perfect framework for a lasting solution. Why don’t they take example of the Northern Ireland GFA?
I understand the frustration of the expat community but the political situation was known to them before taking up residence there.