President Denktas speaking during the ceremonies,
which took place on 14 August to mark the 30th anniversary of the
second phase of the Turkish Peace Operation, reiterating that the Turkish
Cypriots would not settle the Cyprus issue by giving up their sovereignty
and state.
Pointing out that the struggle for sovereignty and the
national cause had not ended President Denktas said everyone should know
that sovereignty was attained with the lives and blood of all those Turkish
Cypriots buried in the graves.
Continuing, President Denktas said that in the April 24
referendum the self-determination right of the Turkish Cypriot people was
demonstrated to the world, as well as the proven fact that the Greek
Cypriots were not the government of the Turkish Cypriots.
Stating that the Cyprus issue was at the same point for
the last 40-years because the Greek Cypriot Administration was acknowledged
as being the “legitimate government of Cyprus”, President Denktas said:
“Naturally we want peace, but we’ll protect our rights and sovereignty”.
PRIME MINISTER TALAT: “TRANSFERING
GAZIMAGUSA PORT TO EU IS OUT OF THE QUESTION”
Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat speaking upon his return
to the TRNC after his one-day visit to Istanbul, where he met with Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said recent news articles appearing in
the Greek Cypriot press that there would be direct flights to Ercan Airport
and that the operation of Gazimagusa Port would be transferred to the EU
were incorrect.
Pointing out that it was out of the question for
Gazimagusa Port to be transferred to the EU and that the EU had no such
request, Prime Minister Talat said there was a need for qualified and
accredited experts to oversee the health and custom procedures for products
that would be exported from Gazimagusa Port to the EU. He said it would be
this team of experts that would be appointed by the EU and that this was an
issue, which the Turkish Cypriot side had talked about and consented to in
the past.
Referring to the issue of Turkey entering into a customs
union with the Greek Cypriot side, the Prime Minister said this was
something that would be decided upon by Turkey and that at present he didn’t
think there was a fixed date for entering into this customs union.
Continuing to talk about this issue, Prime Minister Talat
said:
“If a customs union was to be entered into with South
Cyprus, this would mean ensuring free trade in all economic activities.
Turkish Cypriots also request free trade in economic activities. The Free
Trade Regulation and the freedom to export and import are all necessary
elements for liberalizing the economy. Therefore, we need to discus all
these mechanisms together. On the one hand, South Cyprus will enter into a
customs union with Turkey, while on the other hand as the Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus we too have, not a customs union but a similar practice
with Turkey. This contradiction must definitely be solved and the issue
taken up as a whole. From this perspective I think the issue will be brought
onto the EU’s agenda either at the end of August or beginning of September
and all our studies being carried out include this. In the forthcoming days,
further technical studies regarding these issues will be carried out by the
Ministry for Foreign Affairs”.
