German lawmaker Maximilian Krah recently said parliamentary officials had twice blocked planned visits to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), arguing that Turkish Cypriots and their institutions deserved international recognition.
Speaking to Bayrak Radio Television (BRT), Krah noted he and his fellow lawmaker Achim Köhler had submitted two requests to Germany’s parliamentary Human Rights Committee to visit the territory, but both were rejected.
“They stopped us, but we will come anyway,” Krah emphasized, alleging that some political circles in Germany did not want lawmakers to examine conditions on the island firsthand.
Krah described the current status quo in Cyprus as unsustainable and said previous settlement efforts had failed because of the Greek Cypriot side’s position. He argued that Turkish Cypriots had established functioning state institutions and a legal system that merited recognition.
He linked renewed international attention on Cyprus to Türkiye’s growing geopolitical role, the strategic importance of the eastern Mediterranean and continuing human rights debates.
Krah called for a settlement that protects the rights of both communities, including property rights, while promoting peace in the eastern Mediterranean.
He called the decision to block the visits “hypocrisy.”
The lawmaker, who served six years in the European Parliament, currently sits on the Bundestag’s European Affairs Committee and serves as rapporteur on Cyprus and Türkiye.
