On August 25, AfD lawmaker Maximilian Krah visited the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Speaking during his visit, Krah said it was wrong to look at the Cyprus issue from only one side and argued that people should come to the TRNC and “see the facts for themselves.”
According to a statement from the TRNC Prime Ministry, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel received Krah at his office.
Üstel was joined at the meeting by Minister of Labor and Social Security Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu and National Unity Party (UBP) MP Hasan Taçoy.
“The isolation is unacceptable”
Speaking at the reception, Üstel said it is important for German MP Krah to visit the TRNC and see firsthand the realities of the Turkish Cypriot people.
Prime Minister Üstel stated the European Union had failed to take an impartial and fair position on the Cyprus issue and stressed that the continued isolation imposed on Turkish Cypriots was unacceptable.
“We are aware of the TRNC’s history”
Krah, for his part, said they are aware both of the constructive steps of Turkish Cypriots in the past and of the historical background of their current state.
AfD MP noted that it is wrong to hear the Cyprus issue from only one side, and people need to visit the TRNC to see the situation for themselves. Krah then thanked Üstel for his hospitality.
Krah also met with TRNC Parliament Speaker Ziya Öztürkler, who received him at his office.
“I salute Krah’s courage”
Öztürkler said Krah’s visit will help raise awareness in Germany and across Europe of “the unjust isolation and obstacles the Turkish Cypriot people have faced for years.”
“I salute Krah’s courage, heart, and the stance he has taken toward the Turkish Cypriot people,” Öztürkler added.
Krah said he agreed with Öztürkler and argued that if a solution were genuinely sought in Cyprus, the parties needed to come together and discuss all issues directly. Yet, he added, many people “do not want to come here and see the facts and talk.”
Krah also stated, “The hardships faced by Turkish Cypriots are unacceptable. Without a second passport, they cannot travel anywhere in the world, and they cannot take part in sporting events.”
Another senior official Krah met was TRNC Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu who received him at the Foreign Ministry.
According to information released by the ministry, Ertuğruloğlu responded to questions from the German MP, by providing a comprehensive assessment of the Cyprus issue from a historical perspective. He also briefed Krah on the Turkish Cypriot side’s vision of sovereign equality and a two-state solution.
The backstory of Krah’s visit
There is also a backstory to AfD MP Maximilian Krah’s visit.
The Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid of the Bundestag had previously rejected two of his requests to visit the TRNC.
In an interview with Yener Güneş from Turkish Aydınlık Europe newspaper, Krah had said the first request was turned down because the invitation came from the “separatist, far-right” National Unity Party which is the governing party in the TRNC. The second was, signed by Ziya Öztürkler, Speaker of the TRNC Assembly of the Republic, and backed by the TRNC government; it had also been rejected, this time without any explanation.
Krah, however, continued his efforts and eventually managed to visit the TRNC.
In the interview, Krah also stated that his visit is a “fact-finding mission entirely for humanitarian purposes” and, AfD “does not currently have a detailed and formally established policy on Cyprus”.