TRNC News 20.10.2016 - Özgürgün received Arslan

Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün received the Turkish Minister of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communication Ahmet Arslan and his accompanying delegation yesterday.

Speaking at the reception, Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün pointed out the importance of transportation for Cyprus as an island.

Özgürgün said: “Although we are in negotiations with the Greek Cypriot side, and despite all efforts being conducted in good faith, an agreement has still not been reached, especially on the issue of communication. The TRNC could develop its communication infrastructure with the help of Motherland Turkey.”

Furthermore, with reference to the water issue, Özgürgün said that the water being supplied from Turkey is now even more important due to the drought experienced in the country.

“The water gives life to Northern Cyprus” he said.

Özgürgün, Denktaş and Türkeş held a joint press conference

Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Serdar Denktaş, and Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Responsible for Cypriot Affairs Tuğrul Türkeş, held a joint press conference on economic relations between Turkey and the TRNC.

During the press conference, the three Ministers gave information on the Deputy Prime Minister’s three-day visit.

It was stated that both Turkey and the TRNC are continuing to work towards overcoming difficulties in economic and financial matters, and that the results of these policies will shortly become visible.

Ertuğruloğlu calls for solidarity from OIC members at the 43rd Council of Ministers meeting

Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu stated that the Turkish Cypriots “need the leadership, support and solidarity of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)” at this critical time, during his speech at the 43rd Council of Ministers meeting of the OIC in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

As part of the OIC’s decisions on Cyprus, Minister Ertuğruloğlu called for solidarity amongst OIC members and stated that the TRNC wants to establish closer relations with other OIC member countries.

The full text of the Foreign Minister’s statement is as follows:

“It is an honour for me to address the 43rd Council of Ministers meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. I would like to extend to you all, the sincere greetings of the Turkish Cypriot people and the government of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

I would like to thank the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the brotherly Uzbek nation for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to myself and my delegation in this beautiful and historic city of Tashkent.

I also would like to thank H.E. Dr Iyad Ameen Madani, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and his secretariat for all their efforts in making this important meeting a great success.

Our world at large, but particularly Islamic geography, is going through a very difficult period marked by terrorism, sectorial conflicts and armed clashes with tragic repercussions such as loss of life and displacement of peoples. Apart from these, as the Islamic world, we are faced with challenges in such areas as education, development, the environment and so on. As we gather here today, our agenda is challenging yet not insurmountable, especially if we act in unity and solidarity.

As the representatives of the Islamic world, it is not our responsibility to only pass resolutions and make declarations on important matters dear to this esteemed organisation and its member states, but also and more vitally to ensure their implementation in practice so that we can overcome the problems of our peoples. Otherwise, these deeds remain as mere words and the problems linger, leading to the continuation of suffering of the peoples of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

As you are well aware, we are, presently, at an important juncture in Cyprus. At this critical juncture, we more than ever, need the leadership, support and solidarity of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and its brotherly member states.

Currently, negotiations are ongoing and most recently the two leaders held a tripartite meeting with the UN Secretary-General at the margins of the General Assembly in New York, last month. However, the tripartite meeting did not meet the raised expectations and no concrete results have been achieved. In contradiction to the recent joint statements, in which the two leaders have committed themselves to reaching a comprehensive settlement in 2016, the Greek Cypriot side has rejected to set a timeframe, a roadmap, including a multiparty meeting, which would constitute the final stage of the negotiation process.

Reluctance to set up a roadmap clearly shows the lack of political will on the part of the Greek Cypriot side to share power and prosperity with the Turkish Cypriot side. As will be remembered, this was the diagnosis of the UN Secretary-General in his report, dated May 2004, in the aftermath of the separate simultaneous referenda held on both sides of the island.

Nevertheless, it is an accepted fact that if a settlement is not reached by the end of 2016, after almost 50 years of negotiations, the present process between the two sides on the island will come to an end. After that point, the Turkish Cypriot people, who have been unfairly segregated from the rest of the world for over five decades, can no longer be held hostage to an uncertain future tied to never ending negotiations. Hence, whether a settlement is reached or not by the end of 2016, the Turkish Cypriot people need to be ready for both scenarios.

In this connection, I would like to refer to the numerous resolutions of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which invite the member states to strengthen effective solidarity with the Turkish Cypriots, closely associating with them, and with a view to supporting them in every field to intensify relations with them, thus contributing to their integration with the world.

We are thankful for these resolutions. Nonetheless, much still needs to be done regarding their implementation. The all-embracing isolation, referred to in the OIC resolutions, continues to be a harsh reality in the daily lives of all Turkish Cypriots, impeding their development in all fields of life.

Undoubtedly, there is a correlation between the viability of a settlement that may be reached by the end of 2016 and the development of the Turkish Cypriot side. Hence, immediate and concrete steps taken by the organisation towards eliminating the impeding conditions of Turkish Cypriots, and precluding their integration with the world, is all the more urgent and important.

On the other hand, in the likely absence of a settlement by the end of 2016, due to chronic Greek Cypriot intransigence, the Turkish Cypriot state is not without alternatives. In such an eventuality, your Turkish Cypriot brethren will need your leadership, support and solidarity in terms of overcoming the unjust isolation.

In this context, I believe that, it is now the time for all the Muslim brotherly countries to act and lead the international community in taking concrete steps, enabling the Turkish Cypriot people to be part of the international community.

I hope that the conclusions of our meeting will contribute to the settlement of the problems we face ranging from conflicts and its repercussions to development, education and environment. As the Turkish Cypriot state, an observer member of this distinguished organisation, we are ready to do whatever necessary to contribute to the good of the peoples of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Thank you for your kind attention.”

Foreign Minister Ertuğruloğlu met with Çavuşoğlu and Fatemi

Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Pakistan State Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi as part of his visit to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, for the “43rd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation.” The TRNC is an observer member of the OIC,

Minister Ertuğruloğlu will return to the country today after completing his meetings in Tashkent.

Sucuoğlu and Ataoğlu attended the opening of the Global Health Tourism Summit and Fair

The Minister of Health Faiz Sucuoğlu and the Minister of Tourism and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu attended the opening of the Global Health Tourism Summit and Fair in Ankara.

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avcı, President of the Global Health Tourism Council Fawzi Yousef Qasem Al Hammouri, Chairwoman Demet Sabancı Çetindoğan, President of Turkish Medical Tourism Development Council Emin Çakmak, Ambassadors and MPs were also present at the opening ceremony.

According to the joint statement of the two ministries, 300 people from 40 countries (foreign delegations, the Presidents of Chamber of Commerce, owners of hospitals and tourism companies) participated in the summit and fair which will continue for three days.

“Greek embargo for the Moldova taekwondo team”

The passports of the Moldova taekwondo team who arrived on the island from Larnaca Airport to participate in the taekwondo competition for the “The 16th International Dr Fazıl Küçük Sport Games” have been seized by Greek Cypriot officials.

The President of the TRNC Taekwondo Federation Eyüp Zafer Gökbilen stated that part of the Moldova team arrived at the TRNC from the Ercan Airport and the rest from Larnaca Airport. The 17 sportsmen who arrived at Larnaca Airport were arrested, had their passports seized and were told they could not pass to the North due to the sports embargoes imposed on the TRNC.

Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün received the General President of Global Taekwondo Federation Linda Park, executive board members and presidents of federations from 12 countries. He emphasized that sports should be performed with peace, brotherhood and with the participation of all young people, underlining that embargoes should not be imposed on sports.