Cypriot MEP Geadis Geadi (ELAM) has called for the postponement or relocation of an EU-Turkey parliamentary meeting scheduled for October 26-27 in Ankara unless Turkish authorities guarantee equal treatment for Cypriot MEPs, he told Cypriot journalists in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
Geadi, a full member of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with Turkey, said he had written to EP President Roberta Metsola and the delegation’s chair, Manolis Kefalogiannis, requesting their intervention ahead of the 82nd meeting of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee.
According to Geadi, Parliament’s services informed him that Cypriot MEPs would face different entry requirements from their colleagues. While other MEPs could travel on diplomatic passports, Cypriot MEPs would be issued a separate entry document because Turkey does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus.
“I will not accept different treatment because I come from a state they do not recognise,” he said, stressing that he was willing to attend only on equal terms.
Geadi said the issue had been brought to Metsola’s attention and that he had discussed it with Kefalogiannis. It is expected to be examined at a special meeting on Wednesday.
He rejected the argument that similar arrangements had been used in the past, saying this did not justify their continuation.
Geadi called for the meeting to be postponed until equal treatment was guaranteed or relocated to Brussels or Strasbourg.
He also cited European Commission findings on discriminatory Turkish visa practices towards Cypriot citizens, calling for the Commission’s intervention.
“All MEPs must participate on equal terms,” he said, arguing that such discrimination undermines the European Parliament’s institutional standing.