Around 15 thousand settlers arrive annually in occupied Cyprus

Annual illegal arrivals in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus are estimated at 10 to 15 thousand people, with settles numbering at the moment more than 120 thousand, speakers at a conference in the European Parliament, in Brussels, said on Tuesday.

The event was organized by the initiative of Cypriot MEP Costas Mavrides (DIKO, S&D) and according to participants, the case of Cyprus should be a priority for the EU, whose territory is under Turkish occupation.

They wondered at the same time why the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has done so little for the case. Launching a preliminary investigation to identify Turkish settlement activities in occupied Cyprus lies at the discretion of the ICC Prosecutor, law professors Eugene Kontorovich and William Schabas told the conference.

In July 2014, a group of Cypriot refugees and MEP Costas Mavrides filed a complaint against Turkey, asking the ICC to investigate possible war crimes regarding its policy of bringing settlers from mainland Turkey over to the occupied part of the island, to change its demographics. The initiative received the backing of the Cyprus government, as Kornelios Korneliou, the Permanent Representative of the Republic to the EU has said.

Mavrides noted that it is the first time such an issue is being raised at the ICC, since its founding in July 2002.

From his part, Korneliou noted that the issue of settlers is one of the most delicate and difficult aspects of a Cyprus settlement, with the government concentrating its efforts in solving it in a way that is compatible with international law.

Although the ICC has no jurisdiction to actions committed prior to 2002, Turkey`s settlement activities in Cyprus continue however unabated and today there are more than 120 thousand settlers illegally residing in the island, he noted.

Eugene Kontorovich, professor at Northwestern University School of Law said that it is known from wikileaks that according to official accounts of the US government, we have around 10 to 15 thousand arrivals in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus every year, which alter significantly the demographic character of this part of the island.

He expressed his awe over the fact that part of EU territory is under occupation and said that the Union, which defends international law, should prioritize the Cyprus issue.

Professor William Schabas from the Middlesex University School of Law said from his part that the case lies in the discretion of the ICC prosecutor. He noted that the case file is presently in a state of limbo, pending a decision to proceed with a preliminary investigation on the matter.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.

Since then, Anatolian settlers have been brought into Cyprus by Ankara, under a deliberate and systematic policy aiming at altering the demographic character of the Republic of Cyprus and creating a new political and social reality in occupied Cyprus.

UN-led talks, aiming to reunite the island under a federal roof, resumed on May 15, this year.

CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY