Kızılyürek: It Is Crucially Important for Us to Be Involved in European Politics

During his weekend visits to Kyrenia area, Kızılyürek met with residents, answered their questions, and discussed his work and projects. Running as an AKEL candidate in the June 9 elections, Kızılyürek highlighted the importance of reminding Turkish Cypriots of their status as European Union citizens.

Kızılyürek shared his thoughts:

“Under current conditions, Turkish Cypriots are not represented in the Council or the Commission. However, we can still be represented in the Parliament, which is achievable through elections.”

“In the past five years, we have tackled many issues to secure our rights. We have resources, but there are also challenges. We have fought for our issues, ranging from the Turkish language in education to trade and citizenship, and we have achieved some successes. Our struggle is far from over.”

“It is extremely important for us to be involved in European politics. My recent experience in Berlin is a special example; as a parliamentarian, I had high-level meetings. I share this to emphasize that under the current circumstances, we have the chance to elect someone to the European Parliament. As citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, we have the right to vote, and we must exercise this right. The more Turkish Cypriots participate in this election, the stronger we will feel.”

During his visits, Kızılyürek was asked about issues related to the Turkish language and mixed marriages. He explained the efforts to have Turkish recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union.

Kızılyürek pointed out that both Anastasiadis and Hristodulidis lied about the Turkish language issue, which was exposed. He recalled his speech urging the Cyprus Republic to bring the matter to the European Council to address the language injustice, promising to continue the struggle.

Regarding the citizenship rights of those born from mixed marriages, Kızılyürek mentioned significant progress and vowed to persist in this effort with patience and determination.

In Kyrenia, Kızılyürek visited the new social facilities of the Doğan Türk Birliği Sports Club. He expressed his intention to raise the issue of EU support for Turkish Cypriot sports organizations and the participation of athletes in European competitions in the Parliament, stating that preparations are underway for this initiative.

Kızılyürek reminded voters that a Cyprus ID card is sufficient to vote on June 9. He stated that voters could cross at any checkpoint and cast their votes at special ballot boxes set up at the nearest points.

“There is no mixed voting; it is sufficient to vote for at least one and at most two candidates from the same party,” Kızılyürek explained, noting that over 103,000 Turkish Cypriot voters are registered.