Around 30,000 Turkish Cypriot children refused Cyprus citizenship

Around 30 thousand children from mixed marriages, where one parent is Turkish Cypriot are being prevented from becoming citizens of the Cyprus republic, CTP Deputy for Lefkosa, Ürün Solyalı said in his address to parliament last week.

He accused south Cyprus of being reactionary and of violating those children’s rights, as applications for ROC citizenship have been stalled for years.

Solyalı proposed that obtaining visas should be simplified as there were problems with travel in mixed-marriage families.

He said that the unions had taken initiatives and were demanding a solution to the problem.

Solyalı stated that this issue also creates problems in education and working life. Children born from mixed marriages want to find work in Southern Cyprus, he said.

Initiatives should be made in Southern Cyprus, which has ratified the UN conventions, he said.

 Solyalı also suggested that constructive initiatives should be taken by EU officials. “This is a human right and the people sitting in the Presidency have to find a solution to this issue“, he said.

Kibris Gercek, LGC News