 |  A .IMPORTANT NOTICES
 B. CAUTION FOR FOREIGN CITIZENSCAUTION FOR FOREIGN CITIZENS Foreign citizens interested in purchasing property in the area under Turkish military occupation are strongly advised to thoroughly examine the legal ownership status of the property concerned, through the Lands and Surveys Department of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus, in order to ascertain, at first, that no violation of the property rights of the legal owners will be effected through the transaction, and, second, to safeguard that the purported seller is the true owner of the property and can transfer a valid title.
Foreign visitors are further advised that, material advertising property offered for sale in the areas which are not under the effective control of the Government, found in the possession of persons coming from the areas situated north of the buffer zone to the areas under the effective control of the Government, can and may be confiscated.
Given that more than 4/5 of the property in the areas situated in the north of the buffer zone belongs to forcibly displaced owners (the term ‘owners’ includes the Republic of Cyprus), one can reasonably reach the conclusion that this advertising material relates to illegal activities, even if at the time of its discovery there is no evidence linking the object of the advertisement to specific displaced owners.
The material in question could be used as evidence in a future case against usurpers of property in the areas situated north of the buffer zone. It is also considered material that could be used in the commission of crimes, such as under Article 281 of the Penal Code – use of land registered in the name of another without the consent of the registered owner - and Article 14 of the Law on the Registration of Estate Agents – whereby, no person can exercise the profession of a real estate agent or project himself as such, unless he is duly registered and in possession of an annual license issued by the Registration Council of Real Estate Agents.
On the basis of the above, such advertising material can be confiscated, since there is reasonable suspicion that it is at the core of the illegal sale of property in the areas situated to the north of the buffer zone. After its confiscation, the said material would be transmitted to the police for evaluation and appropriate use. It is imperative that complete testimonies be taken from the persons carrying this material, since they could be potential witnesses in judicial proceedings. If there is reasonable suspicion that the person in possession of the material is actively participating in circles promoting illegal property transactions or exploitation of hotels belonging to displaced owners, an arrest warrant will be issued against him.
For more information: http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/mfa2016.nsf/mfa12_en/mfa12_en?OpenDocument
NOTE ALSO :
C. RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS ON VESSELS CALLING ILLEGALLY AT PORTS IN THE OCCUPIED AREAS OF CYPRUS
D. RELEVANT REFERENCES ON CROSSING POINTS – «GREEN LINE» REGULATIONS
E. THE ILLEGALLY OPERATING “UNIVERSITIES” IN THE OCCUPIED AREAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS
The Republic of Cyprus would like to share its position pertaining to the reasons for which the illegally operating “universities” in the occupied areas of the Republic cannot be regarded as internationally recognized institutions complying with the European or international standards.
1.Illegal status: The “universities” are illegally operating in the areas where the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise effective control because they have not applied to the Universities Registry kept by the Ministry of Education and Culture, nor have they been issued a license for operation, in accordance with the relevant legislation of the Republic of Cyprus. Henceforth, the Republic of Cyprus is not in a position to recognize them nor to evaluate their “programs of study” or the “qualifications” they award. In addition, the Republic cannot verify whether these “universities” comply with the relevant Laws and Regulations of the Republic on Higher Education.
2.Non compliance with the national legislation nor with the international law: The “universities” are being registered and operate under the purported “law” of the so called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (“TRNC”) which, according to the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions and international law, is an illegal entity not recognized by the international community with the sole exception of Turkey.
3. “Universities” in the occupied areas do not fulfil the prerequisites of European initiatives on education: Any direct or indirect recognition of these “universities” or the “qualifications” they award is contrary to the conditions and goals of existing important European initiatives on Higher Education, for which cooperation with institutions which are nationally and internationally recognized remains a prerequisite. The Republic of Cyprus cannot recognize them because it is not in a position to either control or evaluate the quality of services/programs these “universities” provide to their students.
4. Usurpation of properties by the illegally operating “universities”: It is noteworthy that almost all the “universities” that are illegally operating in the occupied areas, have been illegally built on property belonging mostly to Greek Cypriot displaced persons, in violation of their rights and without their consent. It is recalled that the Greek Cypriot owners of properties were forced to flee their properties because of the Turkish invasion in 1974 and the military occupation of 36,2% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and are, to this day, being prevented from returning. Greek Cypriot property owners may bring legal action before the competent Courts of the Republic against trespassers to their properties in the Turkish-occupied area, claiming damages and other legal remedies available to them under civil law. | |