CYPRUS TURKISH TEACHERS UNION’S STRUGGLE FOR OPENING A TURKISH SCHOOL IN LIMASSOL TO BE DISCUSSED BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

The Cyprus Turkish Teachers Union’s struggle for opening a Turkish school in Limassol for the Turkish Cypriot children living there was put on the agenda of the European Parliament.

The EU Parliament’s High Level Contact Group Coordinator Françoise Grossetete, in a letter sent to the Union asked detailed information about the issue and the related court process. Accordingly, in a responding letter, the General Secretary of the Union Þener Elcil informed him about the developments.

Elcil in his letter said:

“Historically, the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot education systems were separately structured. This fact was clearly expressed in the 1960 Cyprus Republic’s Constitution Article 20 paragraph 87. In face of these realities, the children of the Turkish Cypriots living in the South of the Island, who reach to the age of having a compulsory education, were forced to go to a Greek Cypriot school, where the education language is in Greek. The implementations of these schools, which were structured in total violation of the Cyprus Republic’s Constitution and administered by the Greek Cypriot Ministry of Education and Culture, were aimed at assimilating the Turkish Cypriot students. It is the basic Human Right of every person to receive education in his own language.

It is unacceptable that the education right of the Turkish Cypriots, which was openly indicated in the 1960 Constitution, was tried to be used by the Greek Cypriot Administration, which usurped the authorities in the Cyprus Republic and does not represent the Turkish Cypriots.”

In the letter, support was requested from the European Parliament against the prevention of the education right of the Turkish Cypriot people by the Greek Cypriot administration which usurped the “Cyprus Republic’s ” authorities and became an EU member.

 

MONEY LOUNDERING IN THE GREEK CYPRIOT SIDE

Forbes, one of the well known business magazines of the world, reported that the money laundering activities of the Greek Cypriot Administration extended as far as ex-Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. The magazine reported that hundred million Dollars of Milosevic was laundered by the law firm of the Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos.

The article said:

“When Slobodan Milosevic died in his jail cell in March, he left behind $ 800 million mystery. Between 1992 and 2000, he spirited at least that amount , much of it in cash, out of the former Yugoslavia, according to papers filed at the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. The money was loaded onto an airplane to a small airport in Larnaca, Cyprus. Why there? Because says an alleged co-conspirator and courier, the tiny Mediterranean island was a passage to the world.

Where did the money go from there?, Court papers say Milosevic and co-conspirators set up eight Cypriot front companies, including one registered by the law firm of Tassos Papadopoulos… These outfits allegedly set up some 250 bank accounts in Cyprus and Greece and funded the money to more than 50 countries… Much of it was used for purchases from military supply businesses in the U.S., Russia and Israel…What happened to the rest is anyone’s guess.”

He article also pointed out that the U.S. Congress do concede that the Greek Cypriot side has became a center for money laundering activities and play a role in financing the terrorist activities.