The British government has warned its citizens of the risks in purchasing property in the Turkish occupied areas due to the non-recognition of the regime in the north.

The position was declared in a written answer of the Deputy Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Douglas Alexander, to a question posed by Conservative MP Roger Gale relating to the purchase of properties belonging to Greek Cypriots who were displaced following the 1974 Turkish invasion.

In his reply, Alexander said “the Government warns British citizens of the risks of purchasing property in northern Cyprus that arise from the international community’s non-recognition of the self-declared “Turkish Republic of northern Cyprus”, the property implications of any future settlement and the claims to ownership of Cypriots displaced in 1974.”

He added “we further warn British citizens that they may face legal proceedings in the Cypriot courts and elsewhere in the EU, including the UK.”

In addition, “the Government strongly advises British citizens to seek independent legal advice” said Alexander, noting this information is publicly available through the Travel Advice on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website and given in response to all enquiries.