TRNC leaders slam EU Parliament chief over ‘heroic’ remarks on terror group EOKA

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Tufan Erhurman on Thursday criticized the European Parliament chief for celebrating the anniversary of the founding of the Greek Cypriot terrorist organization EOKA.

Erhurman said in a statement: “European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has celebrated the anniversary of EOKA’s founding. While Mrs. Metsola marked this anniversary ‘with great enthusiasm,’ was she unaware of what this organization represents for Turkish Cypriots?”

The Turkish Cypriot leader stressed that officials of international organizations who claim to support a solution on the island should realize that such statements are “increasingly undermining the trust of Turkish Cypriots, one of the two equal founding partners on Cyprus.”

In a separate written statement, Erhurman recalled remarks by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen while describing innovative developments in artificial intelligence, as she said: “We developed these technologies in the shadow of Byzantine churches.”

Erhurman criticized her comments: “Did Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen think that this island consists solely of Byzantine churches?”

He also said that von der Leyen "was made part of this ‘peering through a hole ritual’" while looking through the barrels toward north, and asked if she was "unaware that many European Union officials cross to the north on foot or by car and meet with us?"

“As I said, these come one after another. If the EU does not know Cyprus, it should take the time to learn; if it does, it must reconsider its stance,” he added.

- 'A clear scandal and a distortion of historical facts'

TRNC Prime Minister Unal Ustel also criticized the message Metsola shared on the anniversary of the founding of the terrorist organization EOKA, saying: “The EP president praising terrorism is clearly a scandal and a lapse of reason.”

In a written statement, Ustel recalled that EOKA was an armed organization known for attacks targeting civilians on Cyprus in the 1950s, particularly Turkish Cypriots, and said glorifying such a group under the notion of “heroism” amounts to disregarding the suffering endured, harming the memory of victims, and legitimizing violence.

“President Metsola’s remarks praising EOKA, which remains associated in the memory of the Turkish Cypriot people with violence, pain, and attacks, constitute a clear scandal and a distortion of historical facts,” Ustel stressed.

He added that the EU officials “should clearly understand this: any approach that praises terrorism, distorts historical realities, and ignores the suffering of the Turkish Cypriot people is null and void for us.”

Metsola had earlier described EOKA’s actions as “heroic” in a message marking the April 1 anniversary of the organization’s founding, and claimed its members demonstrated “courage and sacrifice.”

- Terrorist organization EOKA

EOKA was founded by Georgios Grivas, a veteran soldier as well as a staunch opponent of Turks, with the political backing of Greek Cypriot leader Archbishop Makarios III, with the aim of ending British rule on Cyprus and uniting the island with Greece. The group carried out its first attack on April 1, 1955.

Following the end of British rule and the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, EOKA carried out numerous mass attacks aimed at expelling Turkish Cypriots from the newly formed state, and also killed Greek Cypriots who did not share its views.

*Writing by Asiye Latife Yilmaz in Istanbul