The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement regarding recent developments within the Council of Europe.
The statement emphasizes that the Council’s Committee of Delegates has once again confirmed the validity of the property regime in the TRNC through the Immovable Property Commission (IPC), following the closure of the enforcement process related to the Rock Ruby ruling.
During a Human Rights meeting held by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Delegates in Strasbourg on September 17-18, the Sixth Greek Cypriot Decision, which concerns property rights, was discussed alongside individual applications under the Xenides-Arestis Group, the ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry highlighted that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Committee have repeatedly confirmed the IPC as an effective domestic remedy established under the Xenides-Arestis ruling.
It was also noted that the monitoring process related to the enforcement of this decision has been ready for closure for a long time.
The ministry’s statement emphasized that this position had already been clearly outlined in assessments prepared by the Council of Europe Secretariat.
However, due to the Greek Cypriot side’s ongoing attempts to politicize the matter, the technical nature of the enforcement process could not be concluded.
The statement also revealed that during a session on September 19, 2024, the Committee had voted on a draft decision to close the related enforcement process.
Despite this, due to pressure exerted by the Greek Cypriot side on Committee members—most of whom represent EU countries—the closure decision could not be finalized.
The Foreign Ministry noted that, contrary to what the Greek Cypriot side portrays, the Committee successfully closed the enforcement process concerning the Rock Ruby ruling under the Xenides-Arestis Group.
This action reaffirms the validity of the property regime in the TRNC within the framework of the IPC.
The statement stressed that the Committee’s failure to close the enforcement process of the Sixth Greek Cypriot Decision concerning property rights does not reflect support for the Greek Cypriot position.
On the contrary, it demonstrates how the Greek Cypriot side’s familiar disruptive behavior has harmed the Committee’s work by politicizing the issue. brt
