Turkish Cypriot businesses plead for minimum protection

THE Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce yesterday issued a statement calling for the full implementation of EU law across the island, and advocated keeping derogations aimed at protecting Turkish Cypriot economic interests to a minimum.

The statement argued that economic prosperity in the north was not something that could be created artificially, but would emerge only once full democracy had been implemented, calling for Turkish Cypriots to rush through changes in the law to align their economy with EU norms.

“If this is not done, we will experience many more difficulties in economic integration with the south and the EU,” the statement said.

The statement criticised current practices in the north as being undemocratic and designed to keep wealth in the hands of a privileged few, and hit out at the reasoning that protectionism would work to the benefit of the majority of Turkish Cypriots.

“Protectionism will result in decreased competitiveness and will distort income distribution,” the statement said, adding that Turkish Cypriot negotiators should stop asking for derogations and economic protectionism.

“The more successful the negotiating team and the technical committees are in keeping us away from the single market of the EU… the poorer the Turkish Cypriots will remain,” the statement argued.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.