Erhürman condemns attempts to derail Barcelona academy camp in Lefkoşa

TRNC President Tufan Erhürman called the attempts to derail the Barcelona academy’s football camp in Lefkoşa a defeat from a human perspective. He published the statement on social media on 26 August, after calls were made in the Republic of Cyprus to cancel the event.

The Catalan club announced the camp on 4 August: sessions will be held at Near East University in Lefkoşa on 7–11 and 16–20 September, with three training groups planned daily, divided by age. The venue was listed in the club’s announcement as “Lefkoşa, Northern Cyprus”.

Following the announcement, the ELAM party called on the Spanish government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus to cancel the camp and also seek the cancellation of the Zamna music festival in the TRNC. Another festival, Nexus, had been cancelled under pressure the previous week. Barcelona has not abandoned its plans.

Erhürman said he did not want young Turkish Cypriots or Greek Cypriots to be deprived, because of the Cyprus problem, of opportunities available to their peers in other countries. “The disappointment of a young Greek Cypriot for such a reason cannot be my joy,” he said.

As a lawyer, the TRNC president noted that the participation of foreign young people, artists or clubs in events in Northern Cyprus does not mean that these countries recognise the TRNC — just as the participation of Greek Cypriots in events in Turkey does not mean that Turkey recognises the Republic of Cyprus. If one is looking for the political context, he added, it is worth recalling statements by the UN, the EU and the Council of Europe, which since 2004 have spoken of the need to end the isolation of Turkish Cypriots.

Erhürman recalled that on the very first day of the negotiations he had proposed bringing children and young people from the two communities together at joint sporting events. “The cancellation of the festival and attempts to prevent children from playing football can, depending on one’s view of diplomacy, be called a diplomatic victory. But from a human perspective, it is a defeat for all people and for humanity,” he concluded.