TRNC News Today 13th November 2014

Foreign Minister Nami meets with EP President Schulz

Foreign Minister Özdil Nami met yesterday morning with Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, within the framework of his contacts in Brussels.

During the meeting, Foreign Minister Nami emphasized that the current problems pertaining to hydrocarbon reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean stem from the Cyprus problem, that dialogue is essential in order to resolve such problems and that it is unacceptable that the Greek Cypriot side has withdrawn from the negotiating table.

Foreign Minister Özdil Nami expressed that EU institutions and the European Parliament should convey balanced messages through their decisions and statements, and should display effort towards the resumption of the negotiations in a result-orientated manner.

Foreign Minister Nami underlined the need for all parties to remain calm in the instance that these institutions, in which Turkish Cypriots are not represented, produce unilateral positions which may not contribute in any way to the resolution of the Cyprus problem, but rather may raise tensions in the region. Emphasizing that the Turkish Cypriot side will continue to do its utmost to further the negotiation process, Nami stated his expectation of the international community to encourage the Greek Cypriot side towards compromise.

Foreign Minister Özdil Nami made concrete proposals concerning what can be done in order for the isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriots to be lifted and for Turkish Cypriots to be represented at the European Parliament, also reminding that all international actors, particularly the European Union, have roles to play in this regard.

Foreign Minister Nami also met yesterday with Volkan Bozkır, Minister of EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator of the Republic of Turkey. At the meeting, the issues pertaining to the hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean and its impact on the Cyprus issue, as well as the current impasse in the Cyprus negotiation process, were discussed.

Foreign Minister Özdil Nami will return to the Island today, following the completion of his contacts in Brussels.

Presidential spokesman Ertug said that Greek Side created confusion of ideas on the issue of map

Ertug recorded that the statement of the Greek Cypriot Spokesman – Nikos Hristodulides on the issue of territory which was published yesterday was falsifying and the aim can be to create a confusion of ideas on this issue in order to conceal their maximal approaches.

Indicating that the Greek side’s claim that they only brought criteria to the negotiations regarding the issue of territory is not true, Ertug said that they voiced specific names of villages and regions and figures and percentages however the Turkish side reacted to this and reminded that there is an agreement on the issue that the figures and map will be discussed in the end, however the Turkish Cypriot side recorded that they considered these null and void therefore the Greek side could not take the issue much further, in other words they could not put a map on the table.

USA Ambassador Koenig visited General Directorate for Foundations

USA Ambassador to South Cyprus – John M. Koenig visited General Directorate for Foundations.

According to the written statement made by Cyprus Foundation Administration, the importance of the cooperation between USAID and Cyprus Foundations Administration on the issue of restoring the Armenian Church in the Arabahmet District of Lefkoşa after 50 years was discussed at the meeting.

In the statement it is also recorded that the works and responsibilities of Cyprus Foundations Administration on the issue of restoration of all mosques, monasteries, cemeteries, abbeys and churches that belong to all religions and beliefs, both in the TRNC and in South Cyprus were also discussed at the meeting.