TRNC News Today 12^th November 2015

Minister Çolak met with Cretu and Brok

Foreign Minister Emine Çolak travelled to Brussels to hold high-level contacts at the European Parliament and European Commission.

Within the framework of her contacts in Brussels, Minister Çolak met with Elmar Brok, German Member of Parliament and President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs at the European Parliament (AFET), where she pointed out the positive contribution that hearing the voice of the Turkish Cypriots directly will have on the negotiation process and also emphasized the continued desire and determination of President Akıncı, the Government and the Turkish Cypriots to reunite the Island under a federal roof.

Furthermore, Minister Çolak met with Corina Cretu, European Commissioner for Regional Policy. At the meeting which lasted nearly an hour, Minister Çolak conveyed information regarding the latest developments of the negotiation process and indicated that the Turkish Cypriots have the will to find a solution to the Cyprus problem. She added that if all the relevant sides also display the same will, the Cyprus problem can be resolved by the month of May. Çolak pointed to the importance of the EU fulfilling its responsibilities in this regard.

At the meeting, Çolak underlined the expectation of the Turkish Cypriots and the importance for the EU to increase its support towards the bi-communal ad hoc committee for the EU preparation established within the scope of the negotiation process. Minister Çolak also gave information on the developments regarding the confidence building measures agreed at the level of the Leaders. Çolak expressed that such measures will have a positive impact on the daily lives of the peoples on the Island and will also contribute to the negotiation process. Indicating that the negotiations have intensified in November, Minister Çolak emphasized that all dimensions of the Cyprus issue are being discussed, that a settlement does not consist of a single text, and that the social and financial aspects of the issue are also very important.

Foreign Minister Çolak stressed that all relevant sides should afford utmost sensitivity to the support and protection of the ongoing negotiation process. At her meeting with Cretu, Minister Çolak underlined the significance of obtaining first-hand information from the Turkish Cypriots themselves regarding all aspects of the negotiation process given the foreseen political equality of the Turkish Cypriots in the event of a settlement. In this connection, Minister Çolak stated that her contacts in Brussels were very fruitful and thanked Cretu for providing the opportunity to convey the official views of the Turkish Cypriot side.

During her contacts in Brussels, Minister Çolak was accompanied by Undersecretary Erhan Erçin, Private Secretary Hüseyin Özel and Second Secretary Müjde İnançoğlu.

Denktaş evaluates the negotiation process

DP-UG Leader Serdar Denktaş stated that their expectation from President Mustafa Akıncı who leads the negotiation process is to protect the TRNC in the negotiations at least like the Greek Cypriots who protect the ‘Republic of Cyprus.’

Denktaş said that they expect the whole world to respect the decision of the Turkish Cypriot people given in a possible referendum to be held after the negotiation process.

In his written statement, DP Leader Serdar Denktaş stated that the statement of President Akıncı as: “The founding state will be established by the transformation of the TRNC” is extremely important if it is discussed with regards to the Greek Cypriot side’s attitude and approach.

Denktas said: “The Greek Cypriot side should understand that if the Republic of Cyprus which we established as the two partners in the year 1960 and which has been occupied by them since 1963 is going to be transformed into one of the founding states of the new Federal Cyprus, only then the TRNC can be one of these founding states.”

South Cyprus and Israel discuss enhanced defence cooperation

Strengthening bilateral relations between South Cyprus and Israel in the fields of defence and security was the focus of a meeting Greek Cypriot Defence Minister – Christophoros Fokaidis had with the Director of Civilian Office of the Israeli Defence Ministry – Amos Gillad.

The issues of mutual interest relating to the current security issues in the wider Middle East region, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean, were also discussed in the meeting. During the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction for the successful completion of both phases of the joint exercise “Onisilos – Gideon” yesterday.

The second and final phase of the exercise took place within Nicosia FIR in the wider Paphos – Troodos area in which land and air forces participated. This phase was related to the joint training in hitting targets and in air defence tactics as well as search and rescue drills.