The British Ministry of Defence, invoking the Crown, is putting obstacles in the way of Greek Cypriot farmers in their attempt to cultivate their plots which fall within the boundaries of the military bases, citing security reasons.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, which manages the issue, was also informed about the issue.
The Commissioner for Agricultural Payments, Andreas Kyprianou, made a relevant reference before the Parliamentary Committee on Refugees, during a briefing of MPs regarding crop sponsorships and the places where there are difficulties for farmers to operate.
Specifically, the Commissioner for Agricultural Payments also stated the following:
"We also had some issues within the boundaries of the British Bases, with a referral to the Crown, which, as it was said, ceded the land to the British Ministry of Defense and based on this reasoning, the British do not want the plots to be cultivated for security reasons. We sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is proceeding with its own actions."
Speaking more generally about the issue of subsidies, Mr. Kyprianou explained that "crops are not subsidized in areas that are not controlled by the Republic of Cyprus, nor in places where safe access is not ensured". It is also a matter of control, he added.
Regarding the buffer zone, he also mentioned the following:
"Last Thursday I visited the Akaki - Avlona area. The buffer zone, which occupies an area of about 2.8% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, is infiltrated by Turks who cultivate pieces of Greek Cypriots by extending the ceasefire line. We, as CAPO, through satellite data, see exactly what is happening on the ground. Through them, we ascertain the encroachment of the buffer zone, which was also confirmed by the owners of the plots with which we visited the area."
The Commissioner remarked that the issue of the buffer zone is very serious, explaining the handling of the KOAP on the issue of sponsorships.
As he said, until recently the CBO operated on the basis of the "safe access line".
What does a "secure access line" mean, he asked, to answer: A secure access line is considered to be the point to which the United Nations allowed us to go in order to check whether a plot is actually cultivated and when we confirmed it we accepted applications from growers for a grant. Apart from the "secure access line" we did not accept applications. For us, there will no longer be a "secure access line".
Now we are also accepting applications across the line, because with the modern means at our disposal we can confirm whether even the last Greek Cypriot plot is cultivated within the buffer zone. We, as COAP, will help farmers to cultivate their plots, subsidizing them, provided that they wish to cultivate them.
Specifically, the Commissioner for Agricultural Payments also stated the following:
"We also had some issues within the boundaries of the British Bases, with a referral to the Crown, which, as it was said, ceded the land to the British Ministry of Defense and based on this reasoning, the British do not want the plots to be cultivated for security reasons. We sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is proceeding with its own actions."
Speaking more generally about the issue of subsidies, Mr. Kyprianou explained that "crops are not subsidized in areas that are not controlled by the Republic of Cyprus, nor in places where safe access is not ensured". It is also a matter of control, he added.
Regarding the buffer zone, he also mentioned the following:
"Last Thursday I visited the Akaki - Avlona area. The buffer zone, which occupies an area of about 2.8% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, is infiltrated by Turks who cultivate pieces of Greek Cypriots by extending the ceasefire line. We, as CAPO, through satellite data, see exactly what is happening on the ground. Through them, we ascertain the encroachment of the buffer zone, which was also confirmed by the owners of the plots with which we visited the area."
The Commissioner remarked that the issue of the buffer zone is very serious, explaining the handling of the KOAP on the issue of sponsorships.
As he said, until recently the CBO operated on the basis of the "safe access line".
What does a "secure access line" mean, he asked, to answer: A secure access line is considered to be the point to which the United Nations allowed us to go in order to check whether a plot is actually cultivated and when we confirmed it we accepted applications from growers for a grant. Apart from the "secure access line" we did not accept applications. For us, there will no longer be a "secure access line".
Now we are also accepting applications across the line, because with the modern means at our disposal we can confirm whether even the last Greek Cypriot plot is cultivated within the buffer zone. We, as COAP, will help farmers to cultivate their plots, subsidizing them, provided that they wish to cultivate them.
