Britons warned against property buys in TRNC

Cyprus Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashiardis said that the ruling of the English High Court in the case Orams v. Apostolides does not legalise in any way the illegal purchasing and occupying of Greek Cypriot property in the Turkish occupied areas and does not lift the illegality of the occupation of these properties.

“On the contrary, it certifies that the illegally occupied Greek Cypriot property belongs to its legitimate inhabitants and that any purchaser or exploiter of this property is violating another`s ownership,“ he added.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Pashiardis said the European Court of Justice will have the last word on the issue, adding that irrespectively of the High Court`s ruling, “it is the inalienable right of every Cypriot citizen to assert his illegally occupied property.“

Pashiardis said “the violation of another`s property has consequences in the short term and even the long term.“

He furthermore warned that those occupying or intending to purchase Greek Cypriot property in the areas under Turkish occupation are committing a crime and are not in any way covered by the British court`s ruling.

Pashiardis dismissed Turkish Cypriot allegations that personal efforts in the property issue could hinder efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, noting that “the prospects of a Cyprus settlement are not affected by the exercising of personal rights but by the lack of good will and political will for a solution.“

The Government Spokesman pointed out that it was not the Greek Cypriot side that lacked this political will.