The Commander of the Turkish Armed Forces, full general Yasar Buyukanit, yesterday (25 January) arrived in the TRNC to inspect the military units and to have contacts with TRNC officials.

Within the framework of his contacts, full general Buyukanit met with President Rauf Denktas and Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat. Speaking after the meeting, President Denktas said the Turkish Cypriot side was embracing its state and independence for lasting peace because, for the last 40 years, in order to take over the whole of Cyprus through lies and deceit everyone was aware of what the Greek Cypriots had done to the agreement that they had previously agreed upon with the Turkish Cypriots.

Pointing out that the Turkish Cypriot side was trying to form a new partnership with the Greek Cypriot side, President Denktas said this time the Turkish Cypriot side was trying to ensure that this new partnership would not be torn and thrown away like the previous one. He said in order not to shed any more bloodshed and sacrifice Cyprus, which was of strategic importance to Turkey, there was no other formula than protecting the TRNC's independence. He said this was a peaceful formula and was not an obstacle to achieving peace.

For his part, full general Buyukanit said Turkey was maintaining its armed forces on the island for the security of the Turkish Cypriots and not a single soldier would be removed from the island until a lasting settlement was achieved.

Meanwhile, speaking after his meeting with full general Buyukanit, Prime Minister Talat stressing that the Cyprus issue didn't emerge as a result of the presence of the Turkish armed forces on the island, but that the Turkish armed forces were on the island because of the Cyprus issue, said the issue of the Turkish military presence on Cyprus could only be taken up after a Cyprus settlement. Prime Minister Talat said discussing this issue before a settlement was extremely dangerous.