Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the extent to which Russian oligarchs have been able to acquire Republic of Cyprus nationality, (2) the extent to which such acquisitions enable those individuals to obtain visa-free access to the European Union, (3) whether EU arrangements highlight any inequity with which the EU treats the Turkish Cypriots on the island of Cyprus, and (4) whether Brexit will enable the UK to change its policies towards the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The grant of nationality is exclusively a matter for individual states to decide in line with their law and procedures. Under EU law, any Cypriot holding a Republic of Cyprus passport enjoys equal rights of free movement in the EU, whether they are Greek or Turkish Cypriot origin. In line with the wider international community (except Turkey), the UK does not recognise the self-declared “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” as an independent state. Several UN Security Council Resolutions and other multilateral agreements also limit links between UK and the north. Our departure from the European Union does not alter our obligations in respect of such agreements. We continue to believe that a just and lasting settlement in Cyprus is the best means of resolving the difficulties caused by partition of the island.