TAŞKENT VILLAGERS LOOKING FOR CRIMINALS

The Head of the Board of Trustees of the Cyprus Turkish Human Rights Foundation Emine Erk and 5 relatives of the missing persons from the village of Taşkent, yesterday (26 July) crossed over to South Cyprus and gave a petition to the Greek Cypriot Attorney Generalship requesting that an investigation be carried out against Andrikko Demetri Melani and 6 other Greek Cypriots who were involved in the disappearance of 84 Turkish Cypriots.

The petition was given by the relatives of the missing persons Rahme Şevket, Erdinç Hasan, Kaşif Mehmet, Suat Hüseyin, Meryem Mehmet Salih and Cemaliye Cuma.

Speaking to the press Emine Erk said the names and addresses of the Greek Cypriots who were involved in the incident regarding the disappearance of 84 Turkish Cypriots from Taşkent was known and that the Greek Cypriots in question had confessed to this in an interview given to Greek Cypriot daily Alithia on 21 November 2004.

Pointing out that the relatives of these missing persons had given blood samples for DNA tests two-years ago but had not received any information up until today, Erk said they also gave a petition to the Greek Cypriot Foreign Ministry and Presidency requesting further information on this issue.

In the petition given to the Greek Cypriot Attorney Generalship the relatives of the missing 84 Turkish Cypriots requested the following:

"We request that the necessary investigation be carried out as soon as possible against Andrikko Demetri Melani, Dakis Demetri Melani, Avertis Demetri Melani, Georghios Kyriakou, Avertis Erodokritou from Taşkent and Akis Taki and Stassis. We want these people to be arrested and tried and to be informed about the results of the investigation.”

 

SECOND AZERBAIJANI DELEGATION ARRIVING TODAY

A second delegation from Azerbaijan will tonight arrive in the TRNC on a direct flight from Azerbaijan.

The Protocol Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the program of the Azerbaijani delegation of 86 people, which also includes businessmen, high-level bureaucrats, artists and journalists. The delegation will leave the island on Sunday (31 July).

The Azerbaijani delegation will start their contacts on Thursday (28 July) by laying a wreath on the Lefkoşa Martyrs Monument and afterwards the First President of the TRNC Rauf Raif Denktas will brief the delegation at the conference hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The delegation will then be received by President Mehmet Ali Talat.

The delegation will also be received by the Minister for Finance Ahmet Uzun, the Minister for Economy and Tourism Dervis Kemal Deniz and the Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer.

On 29 July, the TRNC-Azerbaijan Business Forum will gather at the Near East University and cooperation protocols will be signed between the Azerbaijan Turkish Businessmen’s Union (ATIB) and the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Industry and Chamber of Commerce.

The Azerbaijani delegation will hold a press conference at the Chamber of Commerce on 30 July. The delegation’s flight will depart from Ercan Airport for Baku on 31 July.