Cavusoglu Accuses Cyprus Of Harboring Terror Over Kurdish Office In Nicosia - Reports

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday condemned Cypriot authorities for allowing a Syrian Kurdish party to open a representative office in the Nicosia, the capital of southern Cyprus, accusing Greece of harboring terrorism

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2022) Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday condemned Cypriot authorities for allowing a Syrian Kurdish party to open a representative office in the Nicosia, the capital of southern Cyprus, accusing Greece of harboring terrorism.

On January 12, the Cypriot-Kurdish Solidarity Association was established in Nicosia, enabling the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), labeled terrorists Turkey, to open its representative office.

"Permitting terrorist organizations to open offices equals playing with fire," the top Turkish diplomat said during the briefing, as quoted by pro-government newspaper Daily Sabah.

According to the newspaper, Cavusoglu also accused Greece of sheltering members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is linked to the PYD party and banned in Turkey as terrorist organization.

"We know the Greek Cypriot administration's support for terrorist groups, including the PKK. This is not a secret," Cavushoglu added.

This is not the first time Turkey has made this accusation against Greece and Cyprus. In 2017, Greece's Supreme Court decided to grant asylum to eight Turkish soldiers who fled the July 2016 coup and has rejected Turkey's multiple extradition requests, prompting accusations from Ankara. Athens has denied similar allegations in the past.