Ustel lambasts Cyprus as ‘the spoilt child of Europe’

The north’s ‘prime minister’, Unal Ustel, accused the Republic of Cyprus on Monday of exploiting tensions from the US-Israeli conflict to strengthen defence partnerships.

Speaking at an iftar event in Istanbul, Ustel said the ‘government’ was using the regional security climate to expand military cooperation with foreign powers.

According to reports in the Turkish press, he claimed the Republic was forming defence partnerships with countries including France, Israel and the United States in order to increase pressure on Turkish Cypriots.

“The Greek Cypriot side is taking advantage of developments in the Middle East,” Ustel said, adding that the Republic had become “the spoilt child of Europe”.

The comments came as Ustel also criticised the European Union’s security role in the region, arguing that the Turkish Cypriot side does not rely on EU guarantees.

“We do not need the protection of the European Union,” he said during a separate address in the north, arguing that EU security guarantees had failed to prove effective in past international crises.

Ustel defended Turkey’s expanding military presence on the island, saying the deployment of Turkish fighter aircraft, naval vessels and air defence systems was justified under Ankara’s guarantor role.

He further asserted that the north is currently “one of the safest countries”, in comparison to the republic as being increasingly concerned about regional developments.

The statements prompted criticism from opposition figures in the north who questioned the confrontational tone towards international institutions.

Sila Usar Incirli, leader of the republican Turkish party (CTP), urged the ‘administration’ to pursue diplomatic engagement instead of rhetoric directed at the EU and the UN.

 “Sit across from them and discuss. Politics means diplomacy and dialogue.”

Incirli also criticised the economic management of the ‘administration’, arguing that international crises were being used to mask deeper financial problems affecting the Turkish Cypriot community.

She accused the authorities of misusing funds intended to stabilise fuel prices, saying billions collected through the price stabilisation fund had been diverted to other purposes.

“You drained the money in the coffers, took out additional loans and loaded the burden of interest on the people’s backs,” she said.

According to Incirli, the reliance on borrowing and temporary financial measures risks creating long term economic damage.

“The policies of recent years have caused enormous damage to the Turkish Cypriot community,” she said, adding that the north “cannot be administered with loans and makeshift solutions”.