A claim by Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, that during an informal trilateral dinner in New York, earlier this week, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides to grant amnesty to Simon Aykut, a property developer currently facing charges of usurpation of Greek Cypriot property in the island’s Turkish-occupied areas, is not true, according to sources who spoke to the Cyprus News Agency.
On the contrary, they add, it is Tatar himself who raised the issue repeatedly, while the President of the Republic made it clear that there can be no interference in the judicial process, especially in such matters.
It is also noted that during the dinner, President Christodoulides also referred to a joint letter sent by Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot parties on the issue, in which they call for an end to the usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties, as a crucial confidence-building measure amid efforts for the resumption of talks for a Cyprus settlement, in line with UN resolutions, the European acquis and international law.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.