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Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar said the Greek Cypriot administration is pursuing an economic blockade policy against Turkish Cypriots, citing restrictions on trade, production and investment across multiple sectors.
In a statement on Tuesday on current affairs, Tatar said Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides' recent declarations and policies aim to put economic pressure on the Turkish Cypriot people.
"The Greek Cypriot side pursues a blockade policy not only in political discourse but in every field from trade to production, from crossings to investments," Tatar said.
"The name of this approach is clear: a policy of economically strangling the Turkish Cypriot," he noted.
Tatar described Christodoulides' expression of gratitude to Jordan for stopping halloumi purchases from the TRNC as the clearest example of this policy.
"While the Greek Cypriot administration sends messages of peace and dialogue to the world, on the other hand it engages in oppressive initiatives targeting Turkish Cypriot producers. The halloumi issue has revealed the true face of the Greek Cypriot side," he said.
Tatar later said the Greek Cypriot side follows a similar policy regarding Cyprus' world-renowned red soil potato, not just halloumi. He noted the Greek Cypriot administration is trying to register this product with the European Union.
"Their aim is to exclude the potato that Turkish Cypriots have been producing for years from the EU market. This is a new attempt at usurpation that blatantly disregards our people's labor," Tatar said.
Regarding the Green Line Regulation, Tatar noted the Greek Cypriot administration continuously creates obstacles.
"This regulation, which in theory aims to eliminate economic inequality between the two sides, has been rendered almost useless for the Turkish side through the Greek Cypriot side's overt and covert pressures. Our exports through the Green Line Regulation are being reduced year by year," Tatar stated.
"The EU is being used as a tool for the Greek Cypriot side's games, and Turkish Cypriot producers and merchants are being victimized," he added.
Tatar also said the construction sector, which is important for the development of the Turkish Cypriot people, has long been subject to systematic pressures from the Greek Cypriot side. He stated that lawsuits filed by instrumentalizing the law and threats of imprisonment target not only investors but also the people's legitimate rights.
Tatar emphasized that Christodoulides' initiatives constitute a "blockade policy" as a whole. He said the clearest indicators of this policy are preventing effective implementation of the Green Line Regulation, pressuring third countries on halloumi trade, welcoming import bans by the Greek Cypriot side, EU exclusion of TRNC institutions and shelving of the Direct Trade Regulation.
Tatar stated that after elections, initiatives will continue with lawyers at European institutions as well as the Council of Europe, and international information campaigns will be activated. Emphasizing that construction sector investments and economic production are under state guarantee within the scope of laws, Tatar said they will defend the rightful struggle of the Turkish Cypriot people on every platform.
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"All these oppressive policies of the Greek Cypriot side are diametrically opposed to discourse on peace and solution," Tatar said, calling on the international community: "Silence should not be maintained toward this mentality that ignores the Turkish Cypriot people and tries to take bread from their producers' hands."
"There is always a strong popular will on the side of those who are right. As long as relations between the two sides on the island of Cyprus are not based on a fair and equal ground, it is not possible to expect a permanent reconciliation," he concluded.
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