Niyazi Kızılyürek
Niyazi Kızılyürek | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the European Parliament for Cyprus | |
| In office 2 July 2019[1][2] – 16 July 2024[3] | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 February 1959 Nicosia |
| Nationality | Cypriot |
| Political party |  Cyprus: AKEL  EU: GUE-NGL |
Niyazi Kızılyürek (born 19 February 1959[4]) is a Turkish Cypriot political scientist and politician. He is, as of 2016, a professor of political history in the University of Cyprus, specialising on the political history of Turkey and Cyprus,[5] and the Dean of the School of Humanities there.[6]
Biography
[edit]Niyazi Kızılyürek born in Potamia, fled to Louroujina along with his family due to the intercommunal violence of 1964. After completing high school in Northern Cyprus, he went to University of Bremen,[4] where he graduated with a BA and MA in Sociology, Politics and Economics in 1983. He completed his PhD at the same university, with a thesis on the Cyprus problem.[4][7]
He produced a documentary called Our Wall with Panicos Chrysanthou, later winning the Abdi İpekçi Peace Award for the documentary in 1997. In 1995, he entered the University of Cyprus as a lecturer. Upon his entry, he was targeted by fascists, nationalist politicians and media, facing a year-long campaign for his expulsion from the university. He resisted with the support of his co-workers and the university and remained there. He related that over the years, the working environment became much less hostile. In 2013, he was elected Dean of the School of Humanities.[8][9] In 2014, Kızılyürek became one of the advisers of President Nicos Anastasiades on Turkey in the Geostrategic Advisory Council.[8]
Kızılyürek has authored around 20 books, including Glafcos Clerides: The Path of a Country. He is a columnist in the Turkish Cypriot left-wing newspaper Yeni Düzen and the right-wing Greek Cypriot newspaper Simerini. He has command of five languages: Turkish, Greek, English, German and French.[8]
Politics
[edit]Kızılyürek entered politics in 2019, as a candidate for the 2019 European Parliament election with the left-wing Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL).[10] His candidacy has proved controversial; Averof Neofytou and Eleni Stavrou of the centre-right Democratic Rally claimed that it only serves to reward Turkish intransigence and to normalize the presence of the occupying Turkish Army in Cyprus.[11][12]
He was elected to the European Parliament with 25,051 votes, coming second among AKEL's candidates, behind Giorgos Georgiou.[13] [14] [15] His election led to renewed controversy because he said that he will promote the Turkish language as an official language of the European Parliament (because it is an official language of the Republic of Cyprus).[16] On the other hand, his supporters have repeatedly praised Kızılyürek's positions about a peaceful reunification of Cyprus and his explicit condemnation of the Turkish invasion and military occupation, as well as the ethnic cleansing and theft of property committed against Greek Cypriots since 1974.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "Key dates ahead". European Parliament. 20 May 2017. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
- ^ "Key dates ahead". BBC News. 22 May 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
- ^ "What the non-election of Niyazi means for Turkish Cypriots". Cyprus Weekly. 16 June 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "Niyazi Kızılyürek". İletişim Press. Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Department of Turkish Studies and Middle Eastern Studies". University of Cyprus. Archived from the original on 13 September 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ^ "View from the Other Side". Cyprus Weekly. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ^ "Academic Staff" (PDF). University of Cyprus. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ^ a b c "Rum liderin beyin takımında bir Türk". Milliyet. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ^ "İstenmeyen adamdı dekan seçildi". Hürriyet Daily News. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ^ "Turkish Cypriot on Akel ballot for EU elections". Cyprus Mail. 2019-01-19. Archived from the original on 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
- ^ Απασφάλισε η Σταύρου κατά Κιζιλγιουρέκ και ΑΚΕΛ – H ανάρτηση της Archived 2019-06-10 at the Wayback Machine Sigmalive.com, May 4, 2019
- ^ Αβέρωφ προς ΑΚΕΛ: Να αποκαλύψουν τι τάζουν στους Τ/κ Archived 2019-08-11 at the Wayback Machine Kathimerini.com.cy, May 4, 2019
- ^ Turkish Cypriot poised to win seat in European parliament elections Archived 2024-06-09 at the Wayback Machine The Guardian, April 21, 2019
- ^ First Turkish Cypriot MEP envisions himself as division healer Archived 2019-08-11 at the Wayback Machine ekathimerini.com, June 3, 2019
- ^ Οι σταυροί προτίμησης όλων των υποψηφίων στις ευρωεκλογές Archived 2020-04-28 at the Wayback Machine Politis.com.cy, May 27, 2019
- ^ Διαμάχη Τσουρούλλη-Νιαζί:Ενοχλητικές ερωτήσεις & ακατανόητη γλώσσα Archived 2019-08-11 at the Wayback Machine Sigmalive.com, May 27, 2019
- ^ Νιαζί: Έχω την ΤΜΤ να με λένε προδότη – Έχω και τον ΔΗΣΥ να με θέλουν να λογοδοτήσω Archived 2019-08-11 at the Wayback Machine Dialogos.com.cy, May 6 2019
Books
[edit]- Glafkos Clerides: The Path of a Country, Rimal Publications, Nicosia, 2008, 278 p. ISBN 9789963610341
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