PRESIDENT TALAT: “ORAMS VERDICT ONCE MORE JUSTIFIED THE TURKISH CYPRIOT PEOPLE”

President Mehmet Ali Talat has said that the British High Court’s ruling on the Orams case justified the  Turkish Cypriot people.

            President Talat  said he evaluated the British High Court’s  decision  as the confirmation of the Turkish Cypriot  people’s thesis, which has been   put forward up until today. He added that they wanted to point out to the whole world that the  place, where the Cyprus issue would be  solved was the negotiations  between the two sides  based on  the UN principles.

Commenting on the British High Court’s ruling on the Orams Case, on returning to the island from Pakistan, President Talat said that the Court’s judgment  firstly proved the rightfulness of the Turkish Cypriot side’s thesis that the property issue was one of the components of the Cyprus problem and it could only be solved as part of a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem. President added that  the property issue, which was one of the components of the Cyprus problem cannot be solved by individual efforts in courts. President stressed that the decision secondly   confirmed  the fact that the Greek Cypriot Administration had no judgment and jurisdiction over North Cyprus.

Talat said  the court  decision thirdly proved that, it was not logical to try to implement the EU Acquis Communitaire in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, where it was being suspended.

President Talat said what should be done was to  solve the issue through negotiations.

The President said fourthly the ruling indicated that  the  Greek Cypriots wanting to bring solutions to their property issues should apply to the Property Compensation Commission set up in the TRNC.

He said  in addition to  these, the British High Court’s ruling on the Orams case has created an impasse for  the Greek Cypriot Administration’s extreme demands and  attempts to further isolate the Turkish Cypriot people.

 

FOREIGN MINISTER SERDAR DENKTAS EVALUATED THE RULING OF ORAMS CASE

“DECISION PROVED THAT GREEK CYPRIOT SOVEREIGNTY DOES NOT EXTEND TO THE NORTH”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Serdar Denktas stressed that the British High Court’s ruling on the Orams case was an extremely important decision, which showed that the Greek Cypriot Administration’s sovereignty did not extend to North Cyprus.

Serdar Denktas also pointing out that the decision was important in terms of indicating that the methods adopted by the Greek Cypriot Administration to deter foreigners from buying property in North Cyprus were useless, said: “This is a legal victory”.

Underlining that at this point the Turkish Cypriot side should pursue a very reasonable policy, Minister Denktas said that the successful outcome of the case was due to the determined policies pursued by the Turkish Cypriot people and these determined policies should continue.

Serdar Denktas added: “It will be possible to attain positive results in similar cases in the future if a well planned and conscious legal struggle is waged”.

Explaining that the outcome of the case would have a positive impact on the economy, especially on the construction sector, Serdar Denktas expressed the view that the court’s ruling would help the construction sector to further develop.

Stressing that this would also encourage foreigners to feel safer in purchasing property in North Cyprus, Serdar Denktas said however the Greek Cypriot side would not give up its legal struggle on Orams case.

“We should not ignore the fact that the Greek Cypriot side would not give up on this issue and continue with its initiatives. In this case, we should continue with the same determined and serious steps we have taken so far on the issue and closely follow the Greek Cypriot side’s steps and produce counters.

Meanwhile the lawyers of the Orams couple Güneþ Menteþ, Hasan Vahib, Ramiz Gürsoy, Bitu Bhala and Isýn Vahib, in a press conference organized  explained their point of view  on the  verdict  of the British High Court.  The Director of the Law Firm  defending the couple,  stated that this case was a beginning for them and that they will continue to take these types of  cases  and even if the case was brought to the Court of Appeal  the  facts  identified  in the  court, which the case was seen,    could not be ignored.

Ramiz Gursoy stated that  the ruling of the British High Court was  not  a success but a victory,  he said  “we won and they lost, the verdict  is very clear.”

Gursoy stating that  they were aware  that the  plaintiff’s lawyer would  take the issue to the Court of Appeal,  said they believed the result  would not change since the  Protokol 10, which was the base to win the case and the  mistakes   made in the method  opening  the case  would not change.

Referring to the legal aspect of the case, Bitu Bhala  stressed that the ruling of the Orams case was one of the most important decisions taken within the last decade in Europe. Bhala  referring to one of the two main points in the case pointed out that   the Greek Cypriot Administration while entering the EU had signed Protocol 10,  envisaging that the  South Cyprus would not have  any jurisdiction over  the North Cyprus.

            Explaining that  for the TRNC the  Protocol 10 meant that the EU Laws could not be implemented in the North, Bhala said because of this there would not be a different result in the Court of Appeal.

Bhala pointed out that  another  important point for winning the case was the fact that the first court documents submitted to Mrs Orams were written in Greek  the objection period was very short and the court hearing was made  in the absence of the defendant.

The couple’s lawyer in Cyprus, Gunes Mentes stated that  the ruling was historical  both for Turkish Cypriots and the foreigners  settling in the TRNC.