ΦΩΝΗ ΚΥΠΡΙΩΝ – KIBRISLILARIN SESİ – CYPRIOTS’ VOICE
COMMUNIQUÉ no. 49 – JUNE 2025
Cypriots’ Voice convened on June 28, 2025, and examined the current socio-political context surrounding the resolution of the property issue as a component of the Cyprus problem. Concerns and conclusions were noted for further work:
1. Legal Dimension:
Lawsuits filed by Greek Cypriots and the implementation of court rulings in these cases highlight the critical importance of the passage of time since the dispossession of property owners.
- Due to the Turkish military intervention, the realistic and primary form of compensation has become monetary compensation; return and exchange options have proven practically unfeasible.
- Rulings won against Turkey are not being enforced, and non-payment of compensation reveals the ineffectiveness in remedying the crime of deprivation of property via judicial means.
- Even in cases of forced displacement due to military intervention, the loss of access to and use of property by owners undermines the concept of property rights.
- Court references to the Annan Plan provisions clearly show that property rights have been weakened and political factors have been considered in establishing new rights based on long-term use of property.
- In a recent case concerning Famagusta, EVKAF’s intervention in the trial weakened the basis of ownership established by title deeds issued by either the TRNC or the Republic of Cyprus, shifting the focus from “undisputed owner” to “claimant.”
2. Judicial Process:
Title deed offices on both sides are placing unnecessary obstacles even to basic ownership transfers (such as inheritance). Bureaucracy is exacerbated by arbitrary decisions from the Guardian of Turkish Properties in the south and the Property Commission in the north.
Judicial processes are further complicated by properties of Turkish Cypriots being managed not by natural owners, but by custodians such as the Guardian of Turkish Cypriot Properties, justified by the concept of “equivalent property exchange” between Turkish Cypriot property in the south and abandoned Greek Cypriot property in the north.
Except for a few cases brought to court, compensations have covered only a small fraction of market values and have failed to provide just satisfaction.
3. Social Dimension:
Intercommunal conflict since 1958 deprived many families of their properties, intensified in 1964, and culminated with the 1974 military intervention.
Turkish Cypriots, seeking protection from Greek Cypriot violence, were confined to ghettos and subjected to pressure from leadership and Turkey to adopt a separatist identity and undergo nationalist Turkification.
Practices included bans on the local Cypriot dialect, promotion of the “From Turk to Turk” economic doctrine, and efforts at religious Islamization.
After the mass population exchange of 1974, a forced property transfer system was implemented in the north, assigning abandoned Greek Cypriot properties to Turkish Cypriots. This normalized property exchange and fostered the perception of “de facto ownership.”
Turkish settlers granted TRNC citizenship also acquired property and gained equal rights with native Turkish Cypriots.
4. Real Estate Market Potential:
Economic activity around the property issue has failed due to weak legal foundations.
International institutions view the TRNC as a subordinate administration of Turkey, with Turkey bearing responsibility for violations and compensations.
The Immovable Property Commission (IPC), established by the TRNC and recognized by Turkey, has been accepted by the European Court of Human Rights as a valid avenue for property claims.
The Republic of Cyprus discourages Greek Cypriots from applying to the IPC, yet thousands of applications have been submitted, most resulting in low compensation.
Turkey is not paying court-ordered compensations and is attempting to create a fund by taxing these transactions. This system is deemed insufficient and deepens the dystopian burden of the property issue.
As a proposed solution, a long-term World Bank or IMF loan could be suggested to Turkey to cover court-ordered compensations for human rights violations. This substantial financial support could boost the economy and lay the groundwork for resolving other aspects of the Cyprus problem.
5. Proposal for a Bi-communal Technical Committee on Property Resolution:
Determining the true owner of each property is essential for the legal integrity of past and future transactions.
Some title deeds documenting pre-1963 legal ownership are kept in the TRNC.
A comprehensive solution is impossible without clarifying complex relations formed by inheritance, sale, commercial use, or expropriation of land.
Therefore, creating a reliable digital registry containing all data for each property is imperative.
It is proposed that, under the good offices of the UN Secretary-General, a Bi-communal Technical Committee be established to urgently prepare a database of properties subject to negotiations. This would define the limits and possibilities and help establish a basis for a property-based political agreement.
6. Political Dimension of the Property Issue:
The complexity of the property issue requires evaluating the balance between technical challenges, legal aspects, court rulings, owners’ expectations, and the practical consequences of long-term expropriation and occupation.
These factors shape the possibility of a comprehensive political solution.
However, if there is political will to resolve the Cyprus problem, technical issues can be solved.
Thinking patterns suitable for “normal times” are inadequate for dealing with situations disrupted in 1974 and unresolved for half a century.
Cypriots’ Voice believes that solving the Cyprus problem requires reconciling with on-the-ground realities and the socio-economic needs of the people, as well as preparing a new political framework in which all communities will live together with equal rights.
The group encourages public participation in the UN-led efforts toward a permanent and sustainable peace.
05/07/2025