The President’s Office criticized the United Kingdom for not inviting the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to the promotion event of the Commonwealth Games.

A written statement issued by the President’s Office said that the exclusion of the Turkish Cypriot side from this event was discrimination.

“We condemn regretfully the fact that the TRNC was not included in the Queen’s Baton Relay which will be held in South Cyprus as part of promotion events of the Commonwealth Games to be held in 2022” the statement said.

The statement noted that South Cyprus had been selected as the first destination of the 9 month long Baton Relay which will take place in 72 countries and regions with the aim of promoting the Commonwealth Games to be held between 28 July and 8 August 2022 in Birmingham.

“Although Queen Elizabeth stressed on the Games official web page that this event will embrace the cultures, enable them to take a joint journey and will also contribute to solidarity and cooperation, the exclusion of the TRNC from this event by the United Kingdom – which is one of the three guarantor powers in Cyprus is discrimination. This biased behaviour of the UK brings to mind the question of whether the UK considers the Turkish Cypriot people as a Commonwealth people or not?” the statement said.

Stressing that it was a legal, conventional and moral responsibility of the UK to treat the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots equally, the statement said in this regard it was meaningful that the poster of the event was prepared in English and in Greek.

“We want to remind that after the Turkish Cypriots said yes and the Greek Cypriot no to the UN peace plan in 2004, the then Tony Blair government promised to lift the isolations embarked on the Turkish Cypriots. The continuation of these embargoes is unacceptable. All these bring to mind a question of whether the UK considers the Republic of Cyprus as a Greek Republic and only the Greek Cypriot people as part of the Commonwealth. If this is the reality, then it will be a positive development to evaluate this as the acceptance of the reality of the island” the statement concluded.