Ankara will thoroughly examine with all its elements the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the property dispute in Cyprus, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, underlining that Türkiye supports the stance of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
The ministry described the ruling as a “timely response” to “politically motivated arrests” by Greek Cypriot authorities targeting those engaged in legal activities under TRNC property regulations.
It said the judgment in KV Mediterranean Tours Limited v. Türkiye would be examined thoroughly while noting the court’s reaffirmation of the Immovable Property Commission’s effectiveness.
Türkiye should speed up property claims for Greek Cypriot owners seeking compensation for land in the Turkish-controlled north of the divided Mediterranean island, the ECHR ruled Tuesday.
The case concerns property rights related to a building complex owned by the Cypriot company KV Mediterranean Tours Limited, established in 1967.
The company abandoned its property in the Maras area following Türkiye’s 1974 military intervention on the island as a guarantor power and applied to the Immovable Property Commission in 2010 seeking compensation and restitution.
In its ruling, the European court criticised the “protracted nature of the proceedings” for compensation claims brought by Greek Cypriots in the TRNC.
The court claimed the TRNC Immovable Property Commission adopted a “passive” approach and that the authorities had stalled in preparing documents and gathering evidence.
It said the authorities in the north had not acted “coherently, diligently and quickly enough” in examining the claim brought by KV Mediterranean Tours Limited, the Greek Cypriot company that had lodged the court case against Türkiye.
“Consistent and long-term efforts had to be continued,” including “creating a remedy which secured genuinely effective redress in respect of delays,” the court said.
It called the ruling “a lesson in the face of ongoing efforts to spread fear and intimidation, undermine the economic welfare of the Turkish Cypriot people, and disregard international law.”
“We share and support the views expressed in the statements made by the TRNC authorities on this issue,” the ministry underlined.
TRNC President Ersin Tatar said Wednesday that the decision recognized the commission’s effectiveness.
“This is not just a court decision but also a warning. You cannot achieve a solution by ignoring the Turkish Cypriot side and imposing an embargo,” he said.
Property rights are a contentious issue in efforts to resolve the Cyprus conflict and one of the main reasons why decades of United Nations-backed talks have failed to reach a settlement.
The court ruled that Türkiye must pay KV Mediterranean Tours 7,000 euros ($8,000) for non-pecuniary damage and 11,000 euros in respect of costs and expenses.
In the past, the ECHR has ruled that property claims must be submitted to the Immovable Property Commission, providing an accessible and effective framework for redress.
Cyprus has been mired for decades in a dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.
As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983. The country is fully recognized only by Türkiye, which does not recognize the Greek Cypriot administration in the south.
The island has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, but negotiations have been stalled since 2017.
