TURKISH Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash said yesterday that Turkey had every right to interfere in campaigning for Sunday’s general elections in the occupied north.
He was responding to opposition criticisms that Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener’s visit to the occupied areas was blatant meddling by Ankara ahead of the elections, seen as the most important in the Turkish Cypriot community’s history.
Sener yesterday announced $160 million in investments that would create thousands of jobs.
Denktash lashed out at the opposition yesterday for criticising Ankara: “They say Turkey should not interfere. From the sky down to the earth, Turkey has every right to interfere,” he told reporters.
“I am not saying Turkey should, but Turkey has the right to interfere. Why? Turkey has guarantor rights, and there are people here struggling to destroy these guarantor rights,” he added.
Sener’s four-day visit to meet Turkish Cypriot officials and private investors has been blasted by the opposition as offering blatant support to parties backing Denktash’s hardline stance.
Yesterday, main opposition Republican Turkish Party leader Mehmet Ali Talat said the timing of Sener’s visit bearing promises of heavy investment was entirely inappropriate. Peace and Democracy Movement leader Mustafa Akinci called the visit “the final ring in a chain of actions to interfere with the election”.
The opposition has accused Turkish state and military officials of shamelessly campaigning for pro-Denktash parties ahead of an election widely seen as a referendum on a solution to the Cyprus problem.
Undaunted by the criticism, Sener yesterday held a news conference at which he pledged Turkey’s full economic and financial support for the north.
A total of $160 million in infrastructure and tourism investments was sealed during the Turkish minister’s visit this week. This amount includes funds for a coastal motorway project east of Kyrenia and tourism investments creating 3,218 jobs.
Denktash also reiterated his criticism of the United Nations plan for a Cyprus solution yesterday: “We are against the Annan plan, but we also desire an agreement,” he said. “Those who say a solution is not possible with the Annan plan are also protecting the rights of Turkey.”
“We are crossing the bridge of fate: we should show the world that we are standing up for our state. The Annan plan is going to destroy our state, and those who say yes to the European Union should be aware of where it is going to lead us.”
