Dear Sir/Madam,

   The intention of this open letter is to express concern and to call for clarification over the vaccination process for the Turkish-speaking Cypriot community. We have united in this  letter not as a government body, an organization, or a network, but as a collective of concerned Cypriot citizens from across the divide. It has come to our attention that Cypriots who have been vaccinated in the de-facto state of Northern Cyprus will have significant barriers in traveling outside the country from the Larnaca and Paphos airport. This is apparently because their vaccination certificates are unrecognized. It should be noted that, due to the state of the pandemic, the only option offered to Turkish-speaking Cypriots was to be vaccinated in the de-facto state, with a number of vaccines provided by the European Union through the Republic of Cyprus. Cypriots, wherever they have been vaccinated in Cyprus, should have their vaccinations authorised and be given the same official document of any EU citizen. We are not here to cast blame or point fingers to whose fault this is. We are aware that the division of Cyprus complicates cooperation between the two communities. We are, however, asking for the two sides to collaborate together to ensure that no one is left behind when confronting the uncertainty of a global pandemic. Politics should not get in the way of the collective health and human rights of all the citizens of Cyprus. Politics should not get in the way of the education of students who will now struggle to go to their overseas universities. Politics should not get in the way of any citizen who wishes for whatever reason to travel outside the country.  It is not fair for Turkish-speaking Cypriots to be punished because of the partitionist rhetoric dominating the political sphere at this present moment

   We are aware that the vaccination certificates of the Turkish-speaking Cypriot community need to be converted into a form recognized by overseas institutions. We also understand that organizations such as the Bicommunal Committee on Health have made commendable attempts to rectify this situation. All we ask for is clarification that the process to rectify this situation is going under way, for assurances that measures are being taken, and for a fair and satisfactory solution. We are also wondering if it is possible for Turkish-speaking Cypriot citizens to go on a case-by-case basis to a bicommunal organization instead of waiting for a collective information transfer. This year has been a difficult one for Cyprus, let us work together to pursue positive changes for our island.

Yours sincerely,

A bicommunal group of concerned Cypriots