Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün received the Turkish Journalists’ Federation Chairman Yılmaz Karaca and his accompanying board members.
During their meeting, Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün said that it was clear that the rights of the Turkish Cypriot side, who have said ‘yes’ to many draft agreements, are not clearly acknowledged.
In his statement during the reception, Prime Minister Özgürgün said that journalists play an important role in bringing the voice of Turkish Cypriots to the world. Emphasising that the Turkish Cypriot side continues to be misunderstood, Özgürgün noted that efforts to improve the prosperity of the Turkish Cypriot people must be accelerated.
Ertuğruloğlu: “The UN has stolen 50 years from us”
Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu said that it will not be possible to reach a solution with the Greek Cypriot side if the ‘Republic of Cyprus’ is recognized internationally while embargoes against Turkish Cypriots continue.
Speaking at a reception, Ertuğruloğlu emphasised that the Cyprus negotiations are now entering a critical phase. The Foreign Minister stated that since the Cyprus negotiation process collapsed in Switzerland, the Greek Cypriot side has refused to admit that the 50 year long negotiation process had also failed overall in order to avoid criticism from the international community.
Pointing out that some Greek Cypriot officials have made statements regarding continued negotiations after elections, Ertuğruloğlu said, “Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side should not be deceived. The 50-year long negotiations for a federal solution collapsed in Switzerland. If the ‘Republic of Cyprus’ continues to be recognized unilaterally while embargoes against the Turkish Cypriots continue, we cannot reach a solution even if we negotiate for another 500 years. The United Nations has stolen 50 years from us but we will not allow anybody to steal more time from us. State to state negotiations can only be accepted henceforward. We look forward to getting support from the Turkish media in this regard.”
Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu also noted that consultation with Turkey about the new negotiation process in Cyprus after the January 7 elections will be an important part of this process.
Source: TRNC Public Information Office –
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