“The next stop for the ship was Limassol Port“, he noted. Özuslu explained that the Turkish press left out this important detail: “The article didn’t mention where Explorer of the Seas was headed next… Let’s complete the story: After Bodrum, the ship’s next stop was Limassol Port“.
He also highlighted the sea traffic between Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus, pointing out, “Even though the Turkish press chose to skip this information, you can clearly see on apps like Marine Traffic that there are plenty of ‘direct’ cruise routes between Turkey and Cyprus – even though Turkey and Cyprus claim not to recognise each other or open their ports to each other“.
Özuslu went on to say, “I expected a response from those talking about ‘sovereign equality,’ but no one said a word“. He mentioned that another cruise ship, the MS Oosterdam, left Limassol and later docked at Antalya. “There are plenty of examples like this. Anyone can check the app for themselves“, he added.
Özuslu also recalled a similar situation from the past where he had asked if Turkey and Cyprus had secretly decided to open their ports to each other, based on the cruise movements. “I was waiting for a response from those who talk about ‘sovereign equality.’ But neither Tatar, Üstel, Ataoğlu (responsible for tourism), nor any officials from Turkey had anything to say! Seems like they don’t have the courage to speak up”.
Criticising the lack of response to the sidelining of Turkish Cypriots in tourism, Özuslu speculated about what could come next. “What’s the next step? Who knows, maybe ‘direct flights’ will be next. Not between Ercan and Baku or Heathrow, though… More like Larnaca-Istanbul or Antalya-Paphos. Because, politically, there’s no real difference between a Bodrum-Limassol route and an Antalya-Larnaca one!”
