President Mustafa Akıncı has reacted harshly to the request made by the Vice President of the European Commission in charge of Euro and Social Dialogue Valdis Dombrovski to pay a 15-minute courtesy visit to the north of Cyprus. Thus, Akıncı warned that ‘If the Commissioner is only going to pay such a courtesy visit to the north then he shouldn’t bother coming at all’.
President Akıncı noted that Dombrovski will be meeting with the leader of the Greek Cypriot Administration Nikos Anastasiades, the Greek Cypriot Parliamentary Speaker and some ministers during his 2-3 day visit in Cyprus and will then hold a press conference.
Akıncı said: “We are serious and would like the people in front of us to be serious as well.” He went on to say that if an official has a mandate to help the Turkish Cypriot side prepare for the EU, he needs to hold contacts and meetings in the north so that he has a full picture. “They need to come here, listen to us and learn the sensitivities of the Turkish Cypriot people, this is what they have been tasked to do. An approach such as this is unacceptable”, he added.
Akinci said that he had been visited by many EU officials, including EC President Jean-Claude Juncker and his offices were baffled as to why Dombrovskis’ visit would be so short.