Universities in Northern Cyprus ‘illegal’ – Ambassador

Kudzai Mashininga, 20 June 2018, Issue No:511
University World News


The Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Zimbabwe Yannis Iacovou has said all universities in the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are operating unlawfully and all foreign students studying there – including Zimbabweans – are breaking international law.

Iacovou made this announcement in a letter published in Zimbabwe’s state-run newspaper The Herald last week in response to stories detailing hardships faced by foreign students in Northern Cyprus, which is controlled by Turkey.

The newspaper reports said stories told by Zimbabwean students in Northern Cyprus bear all the traits of human trafficking and, to some extent, modern day slavery.

Because of the hardships faced by the students, one is alleged to have committed suicide, while others have resorted to crime. In March, local media reported that eight Zimbabwean students were arrested in that country for a series of armed robberies and break-ins.

Most Zimbabwean students are enrolled in state and private universities that include Near East University, Girne American University, Eastern Mediterranean University and European University of Lefke.

Occupied section of Cyprus
Iacovou said while he understands the possible hardships faced by students in that territory, they should have not been in the unfortunate situation of attending a so-called university operating unlawfully in an occupied part of the Republic of Cyprus.

“At the onset, I need to underline that the so-called universities situated in the area occupied by Turkey since 1974, part of the Republic of Cyprus, are unlawfully operating bodies since they were not established nor are they operating under the relevant laws and regulations of the Republic of Cyprus on higher education.

“In addition, they operate under the purported law of the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, an illegal secessionist entity not recognised by the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey,” Iacovou said.

The ambassador said many of the universities were built on land belonging to displaced people.

“Many of the so-called universities were built on property belonging to Greek Cypriot displaced persons who were forced to flee their homes and properties due to the Turkish invasion and the subsequent military occupation of 36.2% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the United Nations and the European Union.

“Greek Cypriot property owners may bring legal action against trespassers to their properties in the Turkish-occupied area, claiming damages and other legal remedies available to them under civil law,” said Iacovou.

He said study or work permits from the occupied territory have no legal force.

Iacovou said having ties with the “so-called” Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was in violation of international law and binding United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Cyprus. The diplomat said provisions of the United Nations Security Council resolutions 541/83 and 550/84 call upon all states not to recognise any Cypriot state other than the Republic of Cyprus.

More than a third of Cyprus has been occupied by Turkish troops since 1974 in response to a coup in Nicosia that was supported by the Greek Junta.

Turkey argued that it was lawfully intervening to protect Turkish Cypriots from potential ethnic violence – the island had experienced ethnic violence in 1963-4 and the threat of violence in 1967 – but its troops have remained in control of the north ever since.

Repeated attempts to reach a political settlement ending the conflict have floundered, including the latest talks that collapsed last summer.

Zimbabwean students
Recently, the Zimbabwean Minister of State Responsible for Government Scholarships in the Office of the President, Christopher Mushohwe, told local publication H-Metro that the government was concerned about the plight of Zimbabwean students in Northern Cyprus.

He said those arrested were not there on government scholarships.

“The students arrested in Northern Cyprus are not on government scholarships; they went there on a private arrangement [in the belief] that they were getting full scholarships but later realised that they had been deceived,” said the minister.

In February this year, the chairperson of Zimbabwe’s Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs Kindness Paradza said reports suggested that more than 3,000 Zimbabwean students were studying in Northern Cyprus, and the majority of them were now stranded due to a lack of tuition fees and money for food.

He said it had come to the attention of parliament that out of desperation, some female students ended up engaging in prostitution or co-habiting with strangers. The parliamentarian said three Zimbabwean students had been jailed in Cyprus for dealing in drugs.

“From our investigations, it is clear that several students have fallen victim to dubious recruiting agencies based around Harare who offer fake university scholarships resulting in most students being stranded on arrival in [Northern] Cyprus,” he said.

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20180620153414903

Foreign students flock to ‘illegal’ Cyprus universities

Maina Waruru, 13 April 2013, Issue No:267


Kenyans are among many African students whose dreams of a quality education in Cyprus might have been shattered.

Internal politics in Cyprus have spilled over into the international and African higher education scene, fuelling confusion among parents and prospective students attracted to opportunities for top-notch education in the divided country.

Universities in secessionist north Cyprus, a region not recognised by the international community except Turkey, have been advertising places at various ‘quality’ institutions, precipitating a spat with the country’s missions abroad.

The universities, including Cyprus International University and East Mediterranean University, both in the north Turkish-recognised region, have been luring students – mainly in Africa – with the promise of top-quality, affordable education.

But the universities are not accredited by south (Greek) Cyprus, which is recognised by the United Nations, posing a major dilemma for students, who are uncertain about whether they will be able to enter the job market with qualifications from universities in north Cyprus.

In Kenya in particular, Cyprus International University (CIU) has been aggressively advertising in the local press in a bid to attract students.

The move has forced the south Cyprus (Nicosia) embassy in Nairobi to warn students and parents against enrolling at the institution, cautioning that the university is unaccredited

“We are sending out a warning that the Cyprus International University is not accredited or recognised by the ministry of education and culture in the republic of Cyprus,” said Agis Loizou, the Cyprus high commissioner to Kenya, in a media statement.

“The CIU is in the illegal entity of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), and therefore is not a legally operating university that can issue degrees to students.”

The warning has sent shock waves across Kenya and East Africa.

Jamal Tajdin, a Kenyan studying at East Mediterranean University (EMU) in the north’s Famagusta area, said there were about 30 Kenyans at EMU.

“All I can say is TRNC is one of the safest places to be," he wrote in Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper. "The university is home to thousands of international students from around the world, especially African countries.

“There are only about 30 Kenyan students at EMU, but we are happy here and it is much cheaper and the quality of education better than at Greek Cypriot universities.”

Last year, Kenya’s Commission for University Education warned that CIU was an unaccredited university, but this seems not to have deterred education-hungry Kenyans from flocking to north Cyprus.

The Cyprus high commission in Nairobi listed the University of Cyprus, Open University of Cyprus and Cyprus University of Technology as among the accredited institutions at which international students could enrol.

Although scenic and peaceful, northern Cyprus is an area previously blighted by civil war. With the region occupied by the Turkish army and denied recognition by the United Nations, there are no direct flights there from Africa, and African students have to travel to Istanbul, from where they get connecting flights.

According to Fredrick Oloo, another Kenyan student in the disputed north, this has not hindered African students from pursuing their dream courses in north Cyprus where, he said, the education offered was both “cheap and of high quality”.

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20130411120607173