controversial visitIt politically sensitive visit from Member of Parliament Liane den Haan to a minister in Northern Cyprus may still get a tail. The Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in The Hague yesterday filed a complaint against her with the Dutch government, a spokesperson confirmed to this site. “We hope that the government will address the MP about this. We find this visit inappropriate and very unwise,” it sounds.
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Den Haan (53) has been under heavy fire in Cyprus for days because she met a minister of the internationally unrecognized republic of Northern Cyprus. This is seen by Cyprus as a provocation and recognition of the part of the island occupied by Turkey. Den Haan states that her visit has no political background and is not aware of any harm. “It was an informal visit as a private person,” the MP from the former 50Plus told this site yesterday.
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intense emotions
According to the embassy in The Hague, that makes absolutely no difference. “She is visiting an illegal, occupied area controlled by Turkey,” the spokesman explained. “The MP should know that something like this can evoke strong emotions on the island. As an embassy, it is our duty to report this to the Dutch government.”
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We hope the government will act on this. As an independent member of the European Union, it is inappropriate to go to an occupied territory
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Den Haan said he was not aware of the complaint. “That once again shows how the Member of Parliament stands in the world,” the embassy sighs. “We hope the government will act on this. As an independent member of the European Union, it is inappropriate to go to an occupied territory.”
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Divisiveness
Den Haan’s visit, meanwhile, is causing a further rift between the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus and the rest of the island. Cypriot Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides called Den Haan ‘a disgrace to the institution you represent’. “You stand for ethnic cleansing and occupation,” said Petrides Den Haan on Twitter.
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The self-proclaimed authorities in Northern Cyprus strongly condemn those statements. “We would like to remind the Finance Minister that it is the Greek Cypriot side that has displaced the Turkish Cypriot people. The statements by the Greek Cypriot officials are not only another attempt to purge the 11 years of atrocities they have committed against the Turkish Cypriot people and their disgrace in history, but also explain the mentality of the Greek Cypriot political elites, who still regard the Turkish Cypriot people as a minority.”
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs
@mfatrnc
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