According to Aksam newspaper, the woman in question is Günsel Cemal, a Turkish Cypriot who left the occupied areas after the 1974 invasion to live in the Cyprus Republic. After working as a translator for the Interior Ministry, Cemal relocated to London, England, where she wrote and published poems.
In 2004, she met Attila Ergül from Turkey over the internet and the two decided to wed.
The couple applied to the Pera Municipality in Istanbul for a civil marriage licence.
But according to the paper, “because Turkey doesn’t recognise the Greek Cypriot side, Cemal returned to London in order to get the relevant documents from the Cyprus Consulate”.
When she returned to Istanbul with her documents, the authorities there saw the approval of “the Greek Cypriot administration” and referred the couple to the registry office.
“The head of the registry office service, however, said the confirmation of freedom to marry should be secured by a country that has an embassy in Turkey,” said Arksam.
When the couple explained that the Cyprus Republic didn’t have an embassy in Turkey, the registry office insisted that the procedure could not go ahead with the specific documents, unless the couple brought confirmation of their parents’ consent.
“Cemal and Ergül told them they were both 50 years old, but the (registry office) manager insisted: ‘You can’t marry’”. In the end, the couple married in London.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/turke ... n/20101118
