TRNC NEWS Today 23rd September 2013

PRESIDENT EROĞLU AND FOREIGN MINISTER NAMİ WENT TO NEW YORK

President Derviş Eroğlu and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Özdil Nami, yesterday (22 September) went to New York in order to carry out various contacts on the sidelines of the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly.

President Eroğlu is expected to return to the TRNC next Monday (30 September).

FOREIGN MINISTER NAMİ: “POLITICAL RIGHTS CANNOT BE MATTER OF NEGOTIATION”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Özdil Nami referring to the new Greek Cypriot scenarios which envisaged giving political rights to Turkish Cypriots in exchange for territory, stressed that Turkish Cypriots already had vested political rights, thus these rights could not be a matter of negotiation.

Reminding that Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiadis won the elections by criticizing the former leader Christofias, Özdil Nami said what was said during the election period should be left behind and the existing convergences should be maintained.

Underlining that the United Nations also had an important role in respect to the resumption of the negotiations from where they were left, Foreign Minister Nami said both the Turkish Cypriot people and the Greek Cypriot people should encourage their leaders towards resuming the negotiations as soon as possible.

Stating that the issue of Maraş (Varosha) was part of a comprehensive settlement, Nami said Maraş could be discussed within the context of the territorial adjustment, for this reason, it should not be held separated from a comprehensive settlement.

Expressing his government’s desire to take an active role in the negotiation process and that they were in consultation with President Eroğlu, Foreign Minister Nami said, since they took office, he has been regularly coming together with President Eroğlu and exchanging views on the Cyprus issue.

PRESIDENT DERVİŞ EROĞLU: “IT IS HIGH TIME TO SETTLE THE CYPRUS ISSUE”

President Derviş Eroğlu, pointing out that the Cyprus issue has become a chronic problem, said: “It is high time to reach a settlement in the Cyprus issue. A settlement might become more difficult as time and generations pass.”

President Eroğlu, stating that they have not been able to meet with Nikos Anastasiades at the negotiation table despite the fact that he was elected to the Greek Cypriot leadership six months ago said, it should be known that any result could not be reached through Anastasiades’ statements to the press.

Eroğlu, adding that all agreed issues and convergences reached during negotiations must be maintained, said if the negotiations started from scratch it would mean that four years’ work would have been wasted and negotiations would be repeated for long years. The President said there was no time to waste at the negotiation table.

Eroğlu also stated that it was not possible to drag the negotiations to the ground that Anastasiades wanted and underlined that it took many years of effort to reach the current point.

Eroğlu also stating that in every platform they have reiterated their will for the embargoes to be lifted said, statements claiming that embargoes would be lifted following a possible settlement did not meet their expectations.

President Eroğlu expressed his wish that Anastasiades would have a change of opinion after his contacts in New York, otherwise, the sides that would sit at the negotiation table for a long time might not be found.

Eroğlu also stating that both former Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and Anastasiades, have never brought the issue of Maraş to the negotiation table, but all comments regarding Maraş were made through the press.

OSMAN ERTUĞ: “ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO CONVENE AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN SPRING 2014”

President Derviş Eroğlu’s Special Representative Osman Ertuğ stated that the consensus reached during the Cyprus negotiations so far were fundamental and the ultimate goal of the Turkish Cypriot side was to convene an international conference in Spring of 2014.

Ertuğ, during an interview for the Greek Cypriot weekly Kathimerini, said natural resources of Cyprus could be transferred to the West via Turkey and Greece, however, he warned that if an agreement was not possible on this issue the tension around the Cyprus would be intensified.

Ertuğ, stating that they could make changes on the method of the negotiations, said “we should proceed on determining a calendar, a roadmap, establishing a give-take procedure and convening an international conference, where guarantor powers would participate”.

Ertuğ upon his reference to the change of method at the negotiations, responding to a question about his view on the Territory chapter to be negotiated at the beginning of the negotiations, pointed out that these formulas were experimented and as the Turkish Cypriot side, they believed in the necessity of focusing on the comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem. Ertuğ said “In the past, we discussed territory issue. Both sides agreed on negotiating the figures and map issues at the end of the negotiations. This agreement is also included in the related report of the UN Secretary General.”

Noting that the ultimate goal was to determine a calendar for the negotiations, Ertuğ said “This desire does not continue with the deadline of the negotiations or establish a condition for the continuation of the negotiations. For the negotiations, we desire to establish a new, concrete structure whose standards were determined. We consider organization of an international conference in the spring of the next year possible”.

Ertuğ, noting that the issue of Guarantees should be handled at the international conference, said “We believe that this problem cannot be solved without taking the opinion of the guarantor powers. The stationing of the armed forces on the island was a natural result of the Cyprus problem. On the island, there are Turkish and Greek soldiers. This problem is about the comprehensive solution of the problem. We cannot handle independently the parts of the problem related with the comprehensive solution. Regarding the confidence building measures, the Turkish Cypriot side is ready to co-operate with the Greek Cypriot side on hydrocarbons, water and electric issues”.

ORDINARY MEETING OF EMU IN TRNC

2013 Ordinary meeting of the European Muslim Union (EMU) has been held in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

120 members of the Union coming from 19 European countries participated in the meeting which was conducted at Acapulco Hotel between the dates of 20-22 September.

The meeting hosted by Academy Cyprus, Development Platform was held in the TRNC for the first time and was aimed to promote the TRNC, to build bridges between the countries and to explain the just case of the Turkish Cypriots in Europe.

Many members of parliament, mayors, heads and representatives of non- governmental organizations and some high level officials from the TRNC and Turkey and also members of the EMU from Belgium, Germany, Greece/Western Thrace, Kuwait, Macedonia, Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Serbia, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, England, Albania, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina participated in the meeting.

A PROTOCOL ON ISSUES OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH HAS BEEN SIGNED BETWEEN NEU AND EDUCATION MINISTRY OF GAGAUZIA

The Near East University (NEU) in the TRNC and Education Ministry of Autonomous Republic of Gagauzia have signed a protocol on the issues of education and health. According to the information released from the NEU Press and Public Relations Directorate, the protocol signed between NEU and Education Ministry of Autonomous Republic of Gagauzia covers the year of 2014 and targets to develop the co-operation in the fields of health and education. The protocol was signed by the President of Board of Trustees of NEU Associate Prof. Dr. Irfan S. Günsel and Education Minister of Gagauzia, Vera Balova, at the Presidential Palace of Autonomous Republic of Gagauzia.

GAU AND UNIVERSITY OF HITTITE SIGNED AN ACADEMIC CO-OPERATION AGREEMENT

Girne American University (GAU) and University of Hittite have signed an academic co-operation agreement.

According to the statement made by GAU, the number of universities which are in academic co-operation and share scientific information with GAU has reached nearly 130 excluding international campuses of GAU in other countries and GAU education centres in the UK, Singapore, USA and Turkey.