London: The proposal by Northern Ireland MP Sammy Wilson for initiating direct flights from the United Kingdom to the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus is not a legislative bill, as some media outlets have mistakenly reported. A senior British government source clarified to CNA that Wilson’s proposal is an “Early Day Motion” (EDM), a form of expression available to Members of Parliament in the House of Commons.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the EDM serves as a platform for MPs to voice their views, support a stance, or highlight issues, and is utilized daily by numerous MPs. These motions are not binding and do not reflect the official positions of the government or even necessarily those of the MPs’ parties. They are primarily aimed at attracting the interest of fellow MPs and are often submitted for publicity purposes, earning them the nickname ‘parliamentary graffiti.’
Since the current government took office on July 4 of last year, 1,385 EDMs have been submitted covering various topics, ranging from the serious, such as the sale of British weapons to Israel, to the less significant, like International Yoga Day, CNA reports.
Sammy Wilson, representing Northern Ireland in the House of Commons since 2005 as a member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), has frequently raised questions regarding the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus. He advocates for Turkish Cypriot positions within Parliament and has previously suggested the Good Friday Agreement model as a potential solution for the Cyprus issue.
In November, Wilson was under investigation by the Westminster Standards Committee after it was revealed that he had traveled to the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus with funding from entities like the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce and Turkish Airlines, without declaring this to the relevant parliamentary body.
Initially, two other MPs signed his proposal. However, one of them, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Andrew Rosindell, later withdrew his signature. According to CNA sources, Rosindell retracted his support after being informed by the Cyprus lobby in London and recognizing the proposal’s impracticality.
The British government source emphasized to CNA that the UK’s stance on airports in the occupied areas is “firm, consistent, and clearly aligned with international law.” Cyprus has been divided since 1974 following Turkey’s invasion and occupation of its northern third. Despite numerous rounds of UN-led peace talks, a resolution remains elusive, with the last round in July 2017 at Crans-Montana ending without agreement.