TRNC News Today – 24th April 2013
PRESIDENT EROĞLU: “THE BORDERS WERE OPENED TO SHOW THAT TWO COMMUNITIES CAN LIVE TOGETHER IN PEACE… THE MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED BY EVERYONE”
President Derviş Eroğlu evaluated the 10th anniversary of the opening of the borders with South Cyprus.
Stating that the borders were opened to show that the two communities can live together in peace Eroğlu said that the message was received by everyone.
Pointing out that this process should be completed with an agreement President Eroğlu 
said that: “We are sitting at a table with an intention of an agreement. But the Greek Cypriot side does not show the same intention. I hope that they will sit at the table in the new period as soon as possible”.
Replying to the questions of the press after the 23rd April ceremony at the Ataturk Stadium, President Eroğlu also talked about South Cyprus’s sale of gold.
Reminding that the gold of the Republic of Cyprus was bought in accordance with the 1960 agreement which was based on the Turkish-Greek partnership, Eroğlu expressed that: “The 1960 agreement is clear. If the Greek side says that the Turkish Cypriots have no right over the gold, they refuse the past”.
Regarding the cost of the electricity which shall be demanded by the South, Eroğlu commented that: “The tradesman who went bankrupt checks the old accounts” and added that demanding the cost of electricity from the Turkish side is unreasonable.
TODAY PRESIDENT EROGLU RECEIVES DOWNER
Today President Derviş Eroğlu will receive the UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor of Cyprus, Alexander Downer.
Alexander Downer will be received by President Eroğlu at 09.30 and he will come together with the Greek Cypriot Administration Leader, 
Nikos Anastasiadis, at 19:30.
Downer will attend the activity of the UN; ‘Anzac Day’ on Thursday morning.
According to the information from the Greek Cypriot press, after completing his contacts Downer will fly to Athens and meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dimitris Avramopulos.
On the same day Downer will fly back to Cyprus and meet with the Greek Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yoannis Kasulidis. Then he will inform the ambassadors of the EU member countries to Cyprus.
Downer also will fly to Ankara to meet TR Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmet Davutoglu, on Monday.
MINISTER OF FINANCE TATAR ATTENDS A CONGRESS IN ISTANBUL
Minister of Finance, Ersin Tatar, said that: “We are co-operating with the Republic of Turkey with regard to the prevention of smuggling in our country. In this respect an important step has been taken with the support of Turkey”. Minister of Finance Tatar will attend the Global Congress of the ‘7th Forum of Struggling with Forgery and Pirate’ with the ministry bureaucrats tomorrow in İstanbul.
In his statement regarding the participation in the global congress Minister of Finance 
Tatar pointed out the relation of the TRNC with the international institutions. Minister Tatar said that: “There is no limit of struggling with smuggling in the world. The works are being done with the connections and cooperation among the countries. I would like to emphasize that the TRNC is working with international institutions like Interpol and the TRNC is in co-operation with the police and custom administrations of countries like the UK. In this respect our participation in the global congress is important. The co-operation of the TRNC with the international organizations and being accepted in response to this is important”.
EVALUATION FROM FINANCE MINISTER TATAR
Finance Minister of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, evaluated the demand of the Greek Cypriot Administration by saying that the Turkish Cypriots have paid no electricity bills since 1964 and total debt of Turkish Cypriots is 1 billion 18 million, Tatar pointed out that when the ‘Cyprus Republic’ was established in 1960 British Authorities circuit the electric stations to the people so that 30% of the electricity which is under the control of the Greek Cypriot Administration belongs to the Turkish Cypriot people.
NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND CHILDREN’S DAY CELEBRATED
23rd of April, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, which was dedicated to children all around the world by the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, for the memory of the establishment of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on the 23rd of April 1920 was celebrated all around the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus with ceremonies yesterday.
The first ceremony in the capital Lefkoşa took place in front of the Atatürk Monument where wreaths were laid later on in a ceremony was held at the Atatürk Stadium. Several other ceremonies including corteges and dance shows were organized across the TRNC.
ECHR HAS NOT RECOGNISED ‘REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS’
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has not recognized the title certificates given to the Greek Cypriots by the Greek Cypriot Land Registry in its decision taken on 2 April 2013 related to the application of Greek Cypriot Eleni Meleagru filed against Turkey.
In his news titled: ‘ECHR has doubts about the Sovereignty rights of Republic of Cyprus’ and ‘new destructing decision related to Greek Cypriot Property’, Fileleftheros newspaper wrote that ECHR has adopted Turkish thesis related to the Greek Cypriot property in the TRNC in its mentioned new decision and ECHR has not recognized the sovereignty of the so called Republic of Cyprus in the TRNC on the issue of property.
ATCA PROTESTED DECISIONS OF EU REGARDING TURKISH CYPRIOTS
Association of Turkish Cypriots Abroad (ATCA) protested the decision of the EU regarding the Turkish Cypriot people due to the fact that they are unilateral and unjust.
In his statement, ATCA TRNC Representative Kerem Hasan said that according to the decision taken by South Cyprus European Union Commission Representative last week, it was decided to impose obligation for the representatives of Turkish Cypriot non-governmental organizations to go to the meetings in the EU via Larnaca Airport, and according to the decision of the European Parliament, Turkish Cypriots being represented in the European Parliament with two observers were prevented.
Hasan said ‘These two developments did not only disappoint the Turkish Cypriots but caused suspicions about the sincerity of the European Union. Stating that although it was announced many times that the responsible side of the deadlock in Cyprus is not the Turkish Cypriot people, Hasan said that the two decisions taken have the quality to increase the isolations imposed on the Turkish Cypriots.
PUBLIC DEBT OF SOUTH CYPRUS INCREASED TO PEAK
It was stated that the 2012 public debt of South Cyprus 
is 15 billion 350 million Euros which means the biggest public debt in the EU after Spain.
Greek Cypriot daily Simerini stated that according to Eurostat, the public deficit is 1 billion 127 million Euros and the Gross National Product is 17 billion 887 million Euros.
Source: TRNC Public Information Office
