Statement of the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the decision of the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal in France concerning Rasa Zilevice, a Lithuanian national engaged in the real estate sector in the TRNC.

The Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal in France, on 1 July 2026, ruled in favour of surrender request submitted by the Greek Cypriot administration pursuant to a European Arrest Warrant issued against Lithuanian national Rasa Zilevice, engaged in the real estate sector in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Pursuant to the said arrest warrant, Rasa Zilevice was detained in France on 16 May 2026, and was released on the same day subject to judicial control, and the hearing concerning her case was held on 24 June 2026. At this stage, the surrender process has not yet been completed, and legal remedies within the French judicial system have not yet been exhausted.

Regarding the property issue, the Greek Cypriot administration has for a long time sought to create de facto situations through unilateral faits accomplis aimed at producing outcomes favourable to itself. To this end, the Greek Cypriot administration subjects its activities concerning immovable properties carried out in accordance with the legislation in force in the TRNC to its own criminal proceedings; exploits the issue for its own political purposes by abusing the European Arrest Warrant and Interpol mechanisms by directly targeting individuals. The European Arrest Warrant issued for Rasa Zilevice is the latest example of this systematic policy.

Despite the existence of the Immovable Property Commission which has been recognized by the European Court of Human Rights as an effective domestic remedy, the fact that property disputes are being treated as matters of criminal law, and that the European Arrest Warrant and Interpol mechanisms are being exploited for this purpose, demonstrates once again, that the priority of the Greek Cypriot administration is not to devise a legal solution to the property issue, but rather to turn it into an instrument of political and economic pressure. This approach also directly threatens legal certainty, economic stability, the investment climate, and the welfare of the Turkish Cypriot People in the TRNC.

It is not only striking that, the same very court having previously rejected the surrender of TRNC citizen Behdad Jafari on 10 December 2025 under a European Arrest Warrant of a similar nature, has now reached a different conclusion in the present case but also gives rise to a serious legal contradiction. It is also noteworthy, in terms of timing that the decision was rendered during the period in which the Greek Cypriot administration was holding the so-called rotating presidency of the European Union (EU), and immediately following the signing of the SOFA agreement with France. The authorities of the Greek Cypriot administration have never refrained from instrumentalizing the law for their political ambitions, they have sought -as has always been the case- to exploit the EU’s so-called rotating presidency and their position within the EU to further their own political objectives.

Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, having closely monitored the process and provided the necessary support from the very outset, will continue to follow the subsequent stages with the same diligence; will resolutely pursue the pertinent initiatives and steps in close coordination with all relevant institutions. In this framework, it is our expectation that the process will be concluded fairly and independently of political considerations in accordance with the principles of the rule of law, international law, and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, and that the French court will reverse this erroneous and unacceptable decision in the upcoming stage.