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The latest collisions and land acquisitions at KCST

The latest clashes, which began on October 7, were an occasion for Israel to step up its killings of innocent Palestinians in Gaza and allowed for a discussion in the CCCT and Turkey about Israel's land grabs on the CCCT.

Professor of Topkapi University and head of TURK DEGS, veteran Konteradmiral, Dr. Cihat Yaycı, who raised the issue the other day, said that it has been known for a long time that Israelis and Greeks have been acquiring plots of land on the KCST using the hull method, firms from the UK and firms available in the KCST and added, that lands are sold to foreigners directly or indirectly, even in the most protected military zones, such as right next door to the land intended for the construction of the Turkish Maritime Forces' naval base in the Iskele-Bozaz area, that is, without even considering borders, security restrictions and other things.

The dangers of land acquisitions in KCST

• The land of the CCTA is being transferred to foreigners offering high prices to Turkish owners. Thus, control of the land passes into the hands of foreigners.
• The fact that CCP lands most suitable for agriculture are being acquired is noteworthy. That is, the CCP may not be able to provide food for itself.
• Land near military installations in the CCP is sold to foreigners or their local intermediaries without restriction or boundaries. This poses a serious security risk.

The reaction of Turkish authorities

While discussing the Turkish Foreign Ministry's budget for 2024, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was asked about the fact that tens of thousands of acres of land on the KCST were actually bought by intermediaries linked to Israel. Turkish MPP from Antalya, Advocate Javit Ary, in his speech at the Planning and Budget Committee meeting said that recently there has been talk about the sale of real estate to foreigners in Cyprus and it was stated that 25% of Cyprus was sold to Israelis and asked if this was true. Fidan replied, "We are looking into these allegations and it has been a topic we have been looking into since my previous appointment." Fidan also said: "Since 2000, Israelis have ranked 12th with a total of 200 real estate applications. There have been a total of 15,000 applications to buy real estate on the CCP in the last five years, the source was other countries, not Israel. Since 2000, the UK has taken the top spot, and in the last five years Iran has risen to the top spot. You are aware that property can only be sold to third country nationals on the CCP after approval by the Council of Ministers, or for rent. We hereby express our concern on this matter to the Cypriot authorities, as we recognize Cyprus as an independent and sovereign state.

New bills and measures

The issue of real estate purchases and real estate agents was the subject of discussion in the Tura parliament. Dursun Oguz, head of the Interior Ministry, said two draft laws are being prepared regarding the acquisition of real estate by foreigners and the activities of real estate agents. Oguz said they should think about the future of their country and that there would be certain restrictions on foreigners acquiring real estate. Oguz pointed out that the number of concluded contracts has increased in the last 5 years, 14607 decisions of the Council of Ministers on authorization to purchase real estate have been issued and 5375 of them have been registered in the cadastre. Oguz emphasized that it is a separate problem that the sold properties were not registered in the cadastre, and added: "Our law will give six months for registration, and if someone does not apply to the cadastre, the Council of Ministers' decisions to sell will be annulled. "

Responding to opposition MPs at the General Session, Grand Minister Unal Üstel said: "it is necessary to worry about the sale of property to foreigners, there are no big figures... If the wheels of the country's economy are turning today, it's because of the work done by entrepreneurs and their impact on tourism." Ustel, regarding Fidan's statements, said: "all foreigners have only one entry in the cadastre when buying real estate, the second one goes through the Council of Ministers, security checks are carried out, and after that can purchase." Ustel announced that the contracts registered in the cadastre are known, and announced that other contracts will be registered by a new law they will bring to parliament.

While Ustel and Oguz shared that there will be restrictions on foreigners' access to property, it became clear that there are problems with the actual numbers. While it is noted that the number of properties bought by foreigners is not reaching panic levels, the basic numbers that officials are using are proving to be insufficiently reliable. An obstacle to revealing the real figures is the lack of registration of real estate purchase agreements by many individuals who were authorized to own assets by the Council of Ministers. The fact that many foreigners have been made citizens of KCST and own large tracts of land should also be more carefully considered and deeply researched, and the true numbers should be found. In addition, those who buy real estate on the CCP to launder money must be quickly identified. The implementation of wide-ranging measures and the elimination of existing problems must be demonstrated without undue delay.