A new chapter opens in the seizure of natural resources in the occupied territories. The pseudo-parliament approved a bill granting approximately 3,500 acres of forested land in the Karpasia peninsula to Istanbul Technical University (ITU).
With this approval, the total area handed over to ITU reaches 6,000 acres, including 2,000 acres of “state land” and 500 acres of confiscated Greek Cypriot private property granted earlier.
Pseudo-prime minister Unal Ustel stated the forest area would serve as a recreation zone, yet admitted the decision conceals “strategic reasons” linked to Turkish military use that “cannot be disclosed.” This admission sparked fierce reactions.
The Republican Turkish Party (CTP) ultimately voted against the bill, with its president Sila Usar Incirli demanding its withdrawal. Turkish Cypriot environmental organisations speak of “irreversible ecological disaster,” and the Green Peace Movement has already filed a lawsuit against previous forest grants to ITU.
Critics emphasise that converting forested areas on this scale means irreparable environmental damage, while the legalisation occurs with a pending court case — raising serious questions of legality.
