President Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday (12 July) received the new Executive Committee of the Cyprus Turkish Football Federation, headed by Niyazi Okutan, and defining the embargoes as being "a period of pressure where people were seeking their identity and going through an identity crisis", said, "the embargoes are incompatible with human honour".

Pointing out that the United Nations, the UN Security Council or individual states usually enforced embargoes, President Talat said the silent embargoes imposed upon the Turkish Cypriots were not in line with these criteria. Highlighting that the embargoes on the Turkish Cypriots were as a result of various manoeuvres by the Greek Cypriot Administration, the President said this was a worrying situation because there was no resolution by neither the United Nations nor individual states to prevent the Turkish Cypriots from participating in international sporting events.

Indicating that it was only the Greek Cypriot Administration that was preventing the Turkish Cypriots from participating in international sporting events, President Talat said the reason for this was the Greek Cypriot allegation that the Turkish Cypriot side was in favour of "separation".

Recalling that in the 24 April 2004 referendum the Turkish Cypriots proved that they were not in favour of separation, President Talat said: "Therefore, these kinds of embargoes are meaningless and should be lifted altogether. The Turkish Cypriots have the right to integrate with the whole world. Additionally, because its policies on the Cyprus issue are supported by the world, the Turkish Cypriots should no longer be punished". He said he was sure that the world would realize this.

Pointing out that the new Executive Committee had a new vision and understanding, the President said by not forgetting the past, it should carry out new initiatives. President Talat said these new initiatives should speedily contribute to ensuring the Turkish Cypriot youth's participation in international sporting events, especially football.

The Joint Committee's 4^th Period Meeting between the TRNC Ministry of Economy and Tourism and the Turkish Prime Ministry's Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade has been completed.

At the end of the meeting, the Joint Committee's 4^th Period Meeting Agreement was signed in Ankara on 11 July.

According to information received from the TRNC Ministry of Economy and Tourism, it was stated that the meeting (30 June - 1 July), was concluded after the "Cooperation Protocol for Food Control and Laboratories in the Foreign Trade of Food and Agricultural Products between the TRNC and Turkey" was signed by Mehmet Basel, the Undersecretary of the TRNC Ministry of Economy and Tourism and Ulker Guzel, the Deputy Undersecretary of the Turkish Prime Ministry's Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade.

The agreement, which envisaged the further development of economic relations between the TRNC and Turkey, also includes articles that aim to encourage production and investment in the food and agricultural sector as well as contribute to the TRNC tourism sector.