During an official visit to Greece this week, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, spoke at a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras.
At the conference, Erdoğan spoke about the Cyprus negotiations process: “I followed the Cyprus negotiations closely and I am well aware of who left the arena during the process. I can easily provide documents and information as proof of this issue. I think that many issues can be overcome if we pay attention to this fact.”
Emphasising that he has been closely involved in the Cyprus issue, President Erdoğan said: “The real summit took place at the meetings held in Bürgenstock in 2004. At a meeting at Davos, I asked Kofi Annan to take up the Cyprus issue and he said that he had tried three times before with no success and did not wish to try again. I pressed him again on this and he called me back after almost 10 days. During the call, he said that he had set up initial talks and that we could begin. We began the process and made the final preparations at Bürgenstock. We came together with all the Prime Ministers of the guarantor countries and Kofi Annan. When it came to the decisive moment, the Greek Cypriot side wanted to leave the table. Kofi Annan said that he had promised this issue would be resolved. All parties signed and the referendum was held in Cyprus. However, 65 % of the Turkish Cypriot people said yes but the great majority of the Greek Cypriots said no to the referendum.
Erdoğan continued: “After that, South Cyprus became an EU member. This year, the guarantor countries came together again in Switzerland at Crans-Montana and once again South Cyprus left the negotiating table.”
Pointing out that their aim was to find a permanent and fair solution to the Cyprus issue, Erdoğan said: “We shall continue to seek a solution. I followed the Cyprus negotiations closely and I am well aware of who left the arena during the process. I can easily provide documents and information as proof of this issue.”
Presidential Spokesman Burcu: “Limiting President Tajani’s contact programme to South Cyprus means disregarding the Turkish Cypriot people”
Presidential Spokesperson Barış Burcu has said that by limiting the European Parliament President Antonio Tajani’s meeting programme to South Cyprus alone, both he and the EU are failing to acknowledge the Turkish Cypriot people.
In a written statement Burcu said: “We want to remind President Tajani that the Turkish Cypriot people are an equal partner in Cyprus, and that they also have the same rights as the Greek Cypriot people. Two of the six seats in the European Parliament belong to Turkish Cypriots, but they have been taken up by the Greek Cypriot side since their one-sided accession to the EU in 2004. The President of the European Parliament should acknowledge this reality and must work to alleviate this injustice and democratic deficit.”
Burcu stressed that Tajani should not avoid holding meetings with the Turkish Cypriot side, noting that the former European Parliament President Martin Schulz met with President Akıncı in the TRNC during his last visit to the Island.
Regional Training Workshop on Export Strategies for OIC member states concludes
The Regional Training Workshop on Export Strategies for Primo-Exporters among OIC member states came to a close in Girne. The workshop was jointly organised by the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT) and the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The workshop was attended by experts from OIC member countries including Turkey, Palestine, Gambia, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Jordan.
Source: TRNC Public Information Office –
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