Cypriot citizenship given to 14 children from mixed marriages,

So far, 14 applications for granting the citizenship of the Republic of Cyprus to children of mixed marriages between Turkish Cypriots and Turkish citizens have been approved, and more applications are gradually being examined, sources have told CNA.

Responding to a question regarding information published in the Turkish Cypriot press about the granting of the citizenship of the Republic of Cyprus to 3,500 children from mixed marriages, following the submission of applications, the sources said that any applications are are examined in the context of the announcements made by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, regarding the implementation of confidence-building measures towards the Turkish Cypriot community.

They also noted that the examination of the applications involves an investigation, that also take place in the cases of mixed marriages between a Cypriot parent and a third country national.

As regards the cases in which one parent is a Turkish national, they explained, applications are examined with even more scrutiny, due to the issue of illegal entry of these persons into Cypriot territory due to the Turkish occupation of the island.

President Christodoulides announced in January 14 confidence-building measures for Turkish Cypriots. One of them was to initiate the examination of pending applications for Cypriot citizenship, as decided by the Council of Ministers in February 2007.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Columbia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue. 

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