5TH
EUROSIA ISLAMIC CONFERENCE STARTED IN TRNC
The Fifth Eurasia
Islamic Conference has got underway in the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus yesterday at 10:00hrs.
The five day
conference, attended by more than 100 religious
leaders from the TRNC, Turkey, the Balkans and Turkish
speaking countries, is sponsored by the Department of
Religious Affairs in Turkey.
Among the issues
being discussed at the Gazimağusa Conference are the
inter-religion dialogue, and Islam’s perception of
terrorism.
Addressing yesterday’s
first session, TRNC President Rauf Denktaş explained
the details and the realities behind the Cyprus issue
and asked support from the Islamic countries.
Delivering speech at
the opening session of the conference, President Rauf
Denktaş underlined the significance of the holding of
the conference in the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus, and said this is most welcomed at a time when
the Greek Cypriot side is doing its best to choke the
Turkish Cypriots’ voice, and prevent them being
heard abroad.
Stressing that the
event is a historic development for the Turkish
Cypriot people, and proposed that the next conference
too be held in the TRNC, President Denktaş expressed
the hope that the Cyprus problem will be solved by
then, in either this or that way.
President Denktaş
criticised the Greek Cypriot side for continuing in
its path of Enosis (the island’s union with Greece)
and said it is this policy that has been preventing a
solution to the Cyprus problem for the last 39 years.
Stressing that
"A solution to any problem requires willingness
of both parties involved", the President
complained that many Islamic countries have failed to
keep their promises of help, made in final
declarations issued at the end of international
conferences like the I.C.O and others.
President Denktaş
reminded the delegates that although Turkish Cypriots
are numerically lesser than the Greek Cypriot side,
nonetheless they were one of the two co-founder
peoples of the old partnership Cyprus Republic
established in 1960 and which was destroyed by the
Greek Cypriots three years later.
Calling on the
delegates to carry the message back to their countries
that the problem in Cyprus is not one between a
majority and a minority, President Denktaş said “What
has been going on, is an illegal action by the Greek
Cypriot Administration of usurping the title of the
partnership Republic, and its resorting to terrorism
for 11 years after that."
For his part, the
Speaker of the TRNC Parliament Vehbi Zeki Serter said
secularism is one of the foundation stones of Modern
Turkey established by Atatürk, and pointed to the
importance of the fact that religious affairs should
be kept apart from the day to day state affairs.
Referring to Cyprus
issue, Serter reminded that the Greek Cypriot Orthodox
Church is enjoying great influence on the Greek
Cypriot Administration, affecting its decision-giving
processes.
Serter said the
point reached at the ongoing direct negotiations
between the two sides in Cyprus, is far from
justifying any hope because of the continued
intransigence of the Greek Cypriot Administration, and
its systematic encouragement by the European Union.
Serter said that the
Turkish Cypriots are in need of the support of the
Turkish speaking and Islamic countries more than ever
before.
The Speaker of the
Parliament also pointed to the tragedy of the
Palestinian people, and said the Turkish Cypriot
people successfully avoided such atrocities thanks to
the protective wings of its Motherland Turkey.
For his part, TRNC
Prime Minister Eroğlu said the conference is a good
example of international solidarity against the
ongoing ethnic cleansing operations in the world.
Eroğlu reminded
that Turkish Cypriots had been successful in attaining
freedom and Statehood as well as defeating the Greek
Cypriots, thanks to motherland Turkey’s unwavering
support.
The Prime Minister
said the struggle had also been given successfully to
stop Greek Cypriots from carrying out further ethnic
cleansing against the Turkish Cypriot people.
Eroğlu said the
Turkish Cypriot side is holding talks with the Greek
Cypriot Administration to secure a lasting and
honourable agreement that will prevent the repetition
of the bitter experiences of the past.
Stressing that a
future settlement in Cyprus should take into account
the existence of a politically equal and sovereign
state also in the north of Cyprus, Derviş Eroğlu
said Turkey’s continued status as a guarantor power
should also be safeguarded.
PRESIDENT
DENKTAŞ TO GO TO STRASBOURG
TRNC President Rauf
Denktaş will depart from TRNC on April 20, 2002, at
07:00hrs for Strasbourg
President Denktaş
will go to Strasbourg over İstanbul where he will
stay one day for having various contacts and giving
conference on Cyprus issue.
