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TRNC President Rauf
Denktas, Prime Minister, Mehmet Ali Talat, and Deputy Prime Minister and
Foreign Minister, Serdar Denktas, yesterday (February 4) went to
Ankara
for contacts on the
Cyprus
issue.
Within the framework of
their contacts in Ankara, President Denktas, Prime Minister, Mehmet Ali
Talat, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Serdar Denktas,
yesterday met with the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Abdullah Gul.
Speaking
before his departure for
Ankara
, President Denktas pointing out that if the TRNC and its sovereignty were
recognized, reasonable territorial concessions could be made, said this
concession would not be uprooting 100,000 Turkish Cypriots from their homes
and what was being considered was territorial exchanges defined as
“boundary adjustments”.
Reminding
that for some time now the Turkish Government has been having a series of
contacts in
New York
,
Washington
and other places, the President said these meetings had been reflected in
the media in a variety of ways and since there was no official statement the
new (TRNC) government could not evaluate these contacts.
Meanwhile,
in a statement issued during the Cyprus summit meeting in Ankara, which took
place at the Turkish Prime Minister’s Residence between President Denktas,
the Turkish and TRNC Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers, it was stated
that Turkey and the TRNC jointly confirms to work towards achieving a just
and permanent peace in
Cyprus
.
The
statement said: “In this context,
Turkey
and the TRNC have agreed to engage in joint efforts in order to assist and
support the good offices mission of the UN Secretary-General”.
Pointing
out that Turkey and the TRNC had exchanged views on the point reached in the
Cyprus issue, the statement said: “The Turkish Prime Minister, informed
President Denktas and TRNC Government officials about his contacts and
meetings with the UN Secretary-General in Davos and his contacts and
meetings in Washington with US President Bush, Vice President Cheney and
Secretary of State Colin Powell”.
The
statement also added that in the forthcoming period, just as it was in the
past,
Turkey
and the TRNC would act together in cooperation.
In his Bayram message
issued, President Denktas stressing that it was the duty of each authority
and individual to preserve the continuity of the
TRNC
State
, called upon everyone to act in unity and solidarity.
Pointing
out that the Turkish Cypriot side wanted a settlement based on the realities
in
Cyprus
and that the new partnership to be established should not pave the way for a
repetition of the 1960 events, the President said: “No power is strong
enough to eliminate the realities. Our life is a reality, we exist and
intend to exist. We are the Turkish Cypriot people in
Cyprus
and want to live as the Turkish Cypriot people”.
Prime
Minister, Mehmet Ali Talat, in his Bayram message issued, pointing out that
Bayram was a period when feelings of unity, love and brotherhood were more
intense, said, in this important period the Turkish Cypriot people needed
more unity. He said: “By overcoming all the problems, it is our primary
aim to ensure that the Turkish Cypriot people peacefully take their place
amongst the contemporary communities in the world.” The Prime Minister
added that although the Turkish Cypriots had suffered many bitter
experiences in
Cyprus
they did not lose their hope and faith.
Meanwhile,
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Serdar Denktas, in his message
issued said no one should adopt an approach aimed at destroying communal
peace and tranquillity. He said the current period was important for
determining the Turkish Cypriot people’s future and more so than other
periods, required greater unity and solidarity.
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