The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimitris Syllouris, yesterday sent a letter to the President of the European Parliament, Mr. Antonio Tajani, as well as to the Speakers of the Parliaments of the Member States of the European Union, denouncing the recent events in the occupied territories. Turkish Cypriot newspaper "Africa".
Referring to the events, the Speaker of the Parliament explained that, due to the criticisms against the current Turkish invasion of Syria expressed in a newspaper article and its parallel with the invasion of Cyprus, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo εμπan which effectively incited extremist circles to attack the newspaper's offices, making threats against its staff and in particular its publisher.
Noting that these events can not be separated from the long-term attempt to intimidate Turkish Cypriots by Turkey, including through restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of the press, Mr. Syllouris stressed that the goal is to completely silence any form of against the Turkish government and the President of Turkey himself. The Speaker of the Parliament also noted that such incidents are part of the general effort to consolidate the authoritarian embrace of the Turkish occupiers and the complete Turkification of the Turkish Cypriot community.
Recognizing the commitment of his counterparts to the principles of freedom of expression and freedom of the media as a cornerstone of European culture and democracy, the Speaker of Parliament called on them to condemn the statements of the Turkish President and to take all necessary measures. for the protection of freedom of the press and freedom of expression in the Turkish-occupied territories of Cyprus. He stressed, finally, that such behavior on the part of Turkey can only have consequences in the light of its European ambitions.
Source: GTP
Source: RIK News