“Shout Our Violated Rights to the World” — Serdar Denktaş Urges Erhürman to Act

Speaking live on Kuzey Kıbrıs Web TV with host Ahmet Kaptan, Denktaş said Erhürman has a major responsibility to reassert before the world that Turkish Cypriots are one of the island’s two sovereign peoples. “After his first meeting with Ankara, the President must make our voice heard globally. Defending our usurped rights is my greatest expectation,” he said.

Denktaş warned that in recent years Turkish Cypriots have been cut off from many international channels and that the narrative on the island’s problems has been left largely to the Greek Cypriot side, which has promoted the image that only it suffers losses. He argued that this information vacuum must be filled.

As a concrete measure, Denktaş proposed electing two representatives to the European Parliament directly from the TRNC rather than running under Southern parties’ lists. “Let’s hold simultaneous elections here to choose two MEPs whose job will be to stand at the doors of the European Parliament in Brussels day and night to tell our story, expand our lobbying, and build contacts,” he said. He suggested reallocating funds from some overseas representations to finance those two MEP offices.

Denktaş called on political parties and President Erhürman to place the European Parliament election plan on the government and presidential agendas immediately and to open the issue to public debate. “This field has been left to the Greek Cypriot side for the past five years; they shaped the narrative presented to the EU and the UN. If they treat the north as EU territory or a contiguous area, then we must insist on using the two seats to ensure the people of that area are heard,” he said.

On a domestic front, Denktaş addressed rumours that TAM Party would be unable to contest an early election, saying such claims were being spread deliberately. He argued the party can stand if legal requirements are met and pledged that TAM Party will participate in any early vote. He stressed that the budget must be passed before any early election, warning that failure to pass it would cost the country another year.