Oğuz: Effective Functioning of the IPC Is Vital for the TRN

Providing further details on international legal processes, Oğuz noted that five out of ten cases filed at the Council of Europe have been concluded, while five remain ongoing. At the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), 12 cases have been finalized, with ten new notifications received, one of which has been resolved while the remaining nine are under review.

Oğuz affirmed that the Ministry of Finance has fulfilled its obligations regarding IPC-related payments. Addressing criticism over recent amendments to legislation concerning property acquisition by foreigners, he rejected claims that the law was rushed. He said the changes were made following consultations with stakeholders in the sector and in response to demands from businesspeople. “This wasn’t done overnight; there is work and planning behind it,” he stated.

Responding to Greek Cypriot policies, Oğuz accused the Greek Cypriot administration of seeking to inflict economic harm on Turkish Cypriots. “If we are to descend into a well using a Greek rope, then what are we doing in this parliament? We are a state,” he declared.

Oğuz also criticized the lack of condemnation of the latest actions by the Greek Cypriot side. In response, CTP MP Ongun Talat stated that his remarks had been distorted, and questioned, “What are you doing beyond issuing condemnations?”

Continuing his remarks, Minister Oğuz said that the new decisions were made together with the real estate sector in light of the challenges faced by entrepreneurs. He recalled that during the previous four-party coalition government, the number of properties allocated to foreigners was increased to reduce the surplus of unsold housing units. “You made the right decision then. If that was right at the time, why is today’s decision wrong?” he asked.

Oğuz acknowledged that the current data on the real estate sector does not reflect the true scale of activity. “Our expectation is that this legislation will enable us to access accurate data. This will improve registration, give us better access to data, and ensure tax collection by the state,” he said. “The state has been unable to collect its rightful taxes,” he added.

Stressing that the law was enacted specifically to enable access to data, Oğuz said the measure was necessary. He concluded by noting that the Greek Cypriot administration is now adopting even more extreme positions than in the past and emphasized, “The Turkish Cypriot people do not deserve this.”