Turkish Cypriot Member of Parliament Armağan Candan, speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) General Assembly meeting, said that Turkish Cypriot youth have no access to any programs under the Council of Europe.
He stated that the unresolved Cyprus problem should not be used as an excuse to exclude Turkish Cypriot youth from European and international youth initiatives.
Candan, a Member of Parliament from the Republican Turkish Party representing the TRNC’s Republican Assembly at PACE, raised the issue during his speech at the General Assembly.
He argued that, as part of democratic life, youth should be integrated into decision-making mechanisms on social, political, economic, and cultural matters.
Armağan Candan stressed that Turkish Cypriot youth deserve to participate in Council of Europe activities on an equal footing with their Greek Cypriot counterparts.
Candan praised the initiative by the Youth Delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Governments as a positive example of youth inclusion in decision-making mechanisms, but added that despite this initiative, Turkish Cypriots’ lack of access to any programs under the Council of Europe represents a serious shortcoming.
