Sept 12, 2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
The Left in
the European Parliament, a left-wing political group of the European Parliament
established in 1995, condemned Ankara on Tuesday for denying entry to Turkish
Cypriots, under the “vague pretext of national security concerns.”
Following the initiative of the movement’s MEPs Niyazi Kizilyurek and Giorgios Georgiou, the movement of MEPs issued a statement condemning Turkey’s policy, which has seen 12 Turkish Cypriots denied entry. Among the group there were journalists and trade unionists.
“They have
been denied entry to Turkey under the vague pretext of national security
concerns. However, all 12 individuals are well-known for their unwavering
dedication to the reunification of Cyprus in accordance with United Nations
resolutions and EU policies, particularly the Bizonal, Bicommunal Federation
(BBF) framework for Cyprus,” a statement released by the party said.
Commenting
further, it said that Turkey’s actions make it clear that these individuals are
being prevented from entering due to their political beliefs.
“The Left
in the European Parliament strongly condemns this unacceptable and regrettable
policy implemented by the Turkish authorities.”
The
statement called on Turkey to lift the ban on preventing Turkish Cypriot EU
citizens from entering the country.
The
announcement comes as the EU parliament is set to discuss Turkey’s progress
report.
Turkey have
been stopping Turkish Cypriots from entering the country on the basis of the
N82 code, which states that the individual is a foreigner that needs to receive
permission before entering Turkey.
N82 seems
to have taken the place of G82, which was used to previously ban five Turkish
Cypriots from entering Turkey.
The code
G82 specified that foreigners that have been suspected of involvement in
activities against national security and were not allowed to enter Turkey.
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