TRNC News Today 18^th December 2013

EROĞLU: “WE HAVE SUBMITTED A JOINT STATEMENT TO THE GREEK CYPRIOT SIDE VIA DOWNER AND WE ARE WAITING FOR THEIR REPLY”

President Derviş Eroğlu said that the Turkish Cypriot side had submitted a joint statement to the Greek Cypriot Administration via the UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor on Cyprus and is awaiting their reply.

Stating that the statement was welcomed positively by the UN, Eroğlu expressed that they would see what the Greek Cypriot side would say after they issued a written statement to public opinion.

Expressing that a draft has come out as a result of long-term works, Eroğlu noted that from the very beginning he had declared that negotiations could be started without the joint statement and also an agreement was reached at the first dinner where Anastasiades, Downer and the UN delegation were also present, in order to start the negotiations during the first half of October and the request for a joint statement came out later on.

Upon being asked about the Greek Cypriot side‘s complaint of Downer’s meeting with Davutoğlu at the Embassy of Turkey in Lefkoşa, Eroğlu stated that the Republic of Turkey is a member of the UN and recognized by the world. Therefore the Embassy in the TRNC is also recognized by the other world states.

Eroğlu continued: “In my opinion the Greek Cypriots’ reference to the Embassy as ‘the Embassy in the occupied region’ is extremely wrong. The TRNC is a state recognized by Turkey. The TR Ambassador is an Ambassador living in the TRNC.”

Recording that there was nothing more natural than Downer’s visit to the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey, which is a member of the UN, Eroğlu continued: “Therefore I wonder how those who cannot even put up with this, will act or what kind of attitude they will show when the negotiations launch.”

OZDIL NAMI: ‘NO ONE CAN DRIVE TURKISH CYPRIOT PEOPLE INTO  A MINORITY STATUS’

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Özdil Nami, stressed that nobody can drive the Turkish Cypriot people into the minority status and added: ‘A comprehensive solution plan will be submitted for the people’s approval. A plan which may drive the Turkish Cypriot people into the minority status will not be submitted even to the approval of our people’.

Foreign Minister Nami said ‘The will of 2004 is clear. The President who was elected later issued a written statement to the UN that a consistent attitude and policy would be followed. Even if some parties do not want to acknowledge there is a common will, it has been put into practice and it is being executed’.

Moreover, adding that a bi-zonal federal solution will be included in the joint statement, Foreign Minister Nami said ‘Now, it is the Greek Cypriot side which should take a further step. We are waiting for their final constructive step in return to our positive steps. Various parties, mainly the UN, are dealing with the issue. It is not right to discuss any more if the joint statement is necessary or not. There is such a work and studies have reached  the final stage. I hope both leaders will announce this for public opinion in the near future’.

Pointing out that all UN member states have single sovereignty, Nami said that the expression used in the Cyprus negotiations has the same meaning. Adding that expressions regarding removal of the Assembly with the single sovereignty are not true, Foreign Minister Nami expressed that there is a federation in  countries like Switzerland and Belgium but they have been taken into consideration by the UN as single sovereignty.

Giving information on the issue of ‘Residual Powers’, Foreign Minister Nami said that federal states would not be able to intervene into the scope of authority of the founding states, Cyprus Turkish and Cyprus Greek states would have their own parliament buildings, deputies and presidents; and sovereignty would be shared.

Pointing out that expressions far from people and official policy confuse people, Nami stressed that a new comprehensive solution plan would be submitted for the approval of people and the people would give the final decision.

EKMELEDDİN İHSANOĞLU: “I ALWAYS TRY TO SUPPORT THE CYPRUS ISSUE”

Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Co-operation (OIC), Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu explained, in a press conference, his missions carried out during his 9 year term of office. In the part of his speech concerning the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, İhsanoğlu said: “I went to TRNC many times after I was elected and whenever I go I try to make a new contribution.

We invited the TRNC President, thus the President of TRNC has visited our Organization for the first time. We had meetings concerning educational, investment and economic projects by inviting groups from different Islamic countries. We made contributions in order to increase tourism and trade.

The trading of TRNC with Islamic countries has increased two times more in the last two years. It has increased from 57 million to 121 million between the years of 2005 and 2012”.

Source: TRNC Public Information Office