Wall of Violation by South Cyprus
Cyprus Times Front Page
September 9, 2005
The Greek Cypriot Authorities repeated an act of their well known ignorance of international law by not allowing an Estonian lorry to cross over the border to the south despite having necessary EU travel documents and carrying goods ordered by Greek Cypriot state owned Telecommunications Authority.
The Green Line Regulation that regulates the movement of people and goods throughout the Island ran into the Greek Cypriot wall of violation once again when the Estonian driver decided to take a different route from his other colleagues and enter the Island from Girne Harbour.
Originally three lorries took off from the north of Europe bringing illumination material for Greek Cypriot Telecommunication Authority (CYTA). The other two drivers took the chose the ‘sea route’ via Athens and Rhodes to Limassol, but Andrus Annsoo and his wife who was accompanying him on his trip that turned out to be an adventure, decided to take the logical route from north of Europe to south through Turkey to Cyprus.
He had all the necessary documents regarding transportation and customs according to EU laws and legislations. As he and his wife were EU citizens they needed no visas except from Turkey for a ‘single pass’, as they planned to return home directly to Limassol.
Ansoo, from Estonian Freight Company Allante, drove through Anatolia got on a ferry and came to Kyrenia Harbour. Everything went perfect at the customs of Girne Harbour. Turkish Cypriot Customs authorities seeing the necessary documents with the EU stamp; they permitted the giant TIR truck with loads of illumination material of the Greek Cypriot Telecommunications Department (CYTA) to head to Metehan Crossing with the escort of a TRNC customs officer.
Andrus Ansoo declared his freight and customs documents – all in line with EU legislations and stamped accordingly- together with his and his wife’s EU passports to the Greek Cypriot Police and customs officers but was refused entrance. “You can cross and so can your wife. Even the truck can cross but the goods must stay. Because they entered the Island from an illegal port” he was told by the Greek Cypriot officers.
“Was not Cyprus an EU country and were not they EU citizens?” asked the poor driver trying to figure out if this was an extremely bad joke. The answer from the Greek Cypriot police was short, “You entered the country from an illegal port”.
The Estonian Driver Ansoo tried his luck by calling his Greek Cypriot friend to ask for help but the result did not change.
Greek Cypriot Police said they will permit to enter the EU citizen couple to South Cyprus without the lorry, but the Estonian driver refused the offer and turned back to the TRNC.
As driver Ansoo had a ‘single transit visa’ for Turkey, now he has another problem to sort out.
TRNC Finance Minister came to the checkpoint to observe and may be some kind of assistance to the driver who had came so close to his destination but now had to re route and drive several thousand more miles to get to the destination he merely minutes away.
“This is the second time we are experiencing a similar situation. The first was a Turkish truck. This time, the driver and wife are EU citizens bringing material to Greek Cypriot Telecommunication Department from another EU country. They have fulfilled the necessary customs and transportation documents according to EU legislations we permitted them to enter from the port of Kyrenia, without demanding any duty that we normally collect” Minister Of Finance Ahmet Uzun explained briefly.
“But Greek Cypriot Authorities refused to enter” he continued.
The Green Line Regulation permits goods and people to move freely throughout the Island. Therefore the Greek Cypriots are violating regulating and performing oppression on their fellow EU citizens. “Although it is said that the EU has accepted the whole of Cyprus territory into the bloc, in practise the EU ends at this crossing point. We expect EU to realize the Greek Cypriot attitude on this issue alongside many others and decide a solution, a correct solution” Uzun said. .
“This attitude of the ‘South’ is the continuation of the policy ‘contra opening of crossings’. We expect our neighbours to approach the matter like a Europeans and leave this ‘closed doors policy’ aside” he added. The Estonian lorry Driver left Cyprus to Turkey yesterday without delivering his freight.
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