KTÖS Secretary General Burak Maviş criticized the criteria announced by the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides for those who have problems in obtaining citizenship of the Republic of Cyprus due to mixed marriage.
“The expectation of the Turkish Cypriot community is not to separate our children according to marriage and place of birth, but to treat them all equally,” Maviş said criticizing Christodulidis.
Maviş pointed out that 30 thousand people were prevented from obtaining the Republic of Cyprus citizenship. “Following a study we have carried out, we have recorded that 6 thousand 300 people have not been able to obtain the Republic of Cyprus citizenship for various reasons and that 527 people have been prevented from obtaining citizenship even though they comply with the specified criteria,” Maviş added.
“Is the set of criteria you present before us a new hope or an old disappointment?” asked Maviş and continued as follows:
“Mr. Christodoulides,
We thank you for the steps you have taken to evaluate the applications, but the expectation of the Turkish Cypriot community is not to separate our children according to marriage and place of birth but to treat all of them equally.
Stop making our own children strangers in our own country.
As unions, see gaining citizenship rights as a social duty and we will not stop fighting in this direction.”
