Press Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

It is our assessment that the compensation decision announced by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is erroneous in terms of content, timing and methodology and that an approach which is contradictory to established legal principles has been displayed.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus attaches utmost importance to the whole and complete implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and has proven this through its undertakings. At a time when the comprehensive settlement negotiations have entered a critical phase, we would like to share with the public that with the said judgement of the ECHR, which has been taken without due attention, our expectation of sensitivity from the international community has not been met and that the ruling will have a negative impact on the current process.
We would like to emphasize that what is necessary on the Island are not Court judgements, but rather a comprehensive settlement, and that any judgement or text other than a comprehensive settlement to be reached with the consent of the two sides will have a negative impact on the process. Moreover, it is a matter of concern that a decision has been taken by the ECHR without precedence nine years after the main judgement pertaining to ambiguous persons.
It is our expectation that the negotiations which are being conducted between the two sides aimed at reaching a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue, which is essentially a political issue, continue uninterruptedly and more robustly so as to attain a result in the shortest possible time.

13 May 2014,
Lefkoşa.