About 150 Turkish Cypriot students studying abroad have been vaccinated against COVID-19 on Thursday, at the Cyprus State Fair centre in Nicosia, at the initiative of the Republic of Cyprus.
As government sources told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), the aim was to help the students get the necessary certificates for traveling and continuing their studies, by registering them directly to the relevant list of the Republic of Cyprus, which is the only internationally recognized on the island. Â According to the same sources, the Republic of Cyprus is also ready to facilitate more Turkish Cypriot students.
The Republic of Cyprus has requested three weeks ago from the Turkish Cypriot side the list of those who were vaccinated with the vaccines given to the occupied areas by the Republic of Cyprus, to be registered in the government’s database, in order to be able to issue vaccination certificates. However, as the sources told CNA, there has not yet been any response from the regime in the occupied areas of Cyprus.
For that reason, the Republic of Cyprus is looking into alternative ways of registering Turkish Cypriots who have been vaccinated with vaccines approved by the EU, such as an on-line platform, to allow Turkish Cypriots to register their own data and documents proving their vaccination. The solution is expected to be announced within the next couple of days.
The Republic of Cyprus has given so far, about 160,000 vaccines to the Turkish Cypriot community, of which 40,000 were given in the past three days.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory.
