David Lidington MP
Minister of State for Europe
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH

As a Briton of Cypriot descent, I was distraught at hearing the comments that you made while recently in Cyprus, suggesting that the legal status of houses stolen during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and those of Turkish Cypriots who had moved into the occupied area were comparable.

The houses in the free area of the Republic of Cyprus are open to legal challenge under a credible legal system in a recognised EU member state, where redress is clear, systematic and fair. However, the unrecognised regime that still occupies the north of Cyprus in the face of condemnation by the international community, protects people who seek to gain from stolen properties forcibly taken during the invasion.

I am not alone in the sizeable Cypriot community in wanting to know how you can possibly justify your ill-judged words and I look forward to your response.