Istanbul (Turkiye News): Turkey has expressed serious concern over what it describes as the politicization of the European human rights system, stating that it is being used for political purposes.
The stance came as the issue of property rights of displaced persons in Cyprus was once again discussed at a meeting of the Council of Europe.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said in a post on social media platform X that Turkey is deeply concerned about the influence of political considerations on the European Convention on Human Rights system.
He noted that the property rights section related to the “Greek Cypriot side” in the 2001 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights was once again discussed during the 1563rd meeting of the Committee of Ministers held in Strasbourg from June 9 to 11.
According to the spokesperson, this section has still not been closed, although the Council of Europe Secretariat had recommended ending its monitoring in 2022.
He further said that the Secretariat was assigned an exceptional task to prepare a draft interpretation of property-related provisions of a 2014 court ruling, particularly in cases where different interpretations exist.
The Turkish spokesperson described these steps as unprecedented in the history of the Committee of Ministers and said they were the result of attempts by the Greek Cypriot side to use the human rights system for political objectives.
He also alleged that the Greek Cypriot side has tried to hinder the effective functioning of the convention system and has not shown seriousness in resolving the Cyprus issue.
Turkey said it will continue to closely monitor the matter in consultation with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The issue has once again brought discussions involving the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights into focus, with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus also gaining renewed attention in the dispute.
