President Mehmet Ali Talat last night (6 October) met for dinner with the Leader of the main Greek Cypriot opposition party, DISI, Nikos Anastasiades in his residency in Kyrenia. Both their wives were also present.

Speaking to the press before the dinner, Anastasiades said as well as being a social meeting this was a good opportunity for both sides to express their opinions and concerns and his meeting with President Talat should encourage all political party leaders to get together.

Anastasiades said the environment for better understanding each other would assist in the two peoples to live together within Europe and contribute for the two peoples to have the opportunity to live in prosperity.

For his part, President Talat pointing out that now was the most appropriate time to unite the island stressed that in order to reach a conclusion no opportunity should be missed. He said: "I believe our political leaders should lead the way to ensure that our island has a peaceful future".

Continuing, President Talat said: "Every incident and peaceful development will assist this aim. I think this social meeting even the dinner will positively contribute to this aim".

He said emphasis should be put on ensuring that the two sides are in constant contact and political leaders should be encouraged by their people to ensure that the two sides cooperate and have dialogue.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Serdar Denktas requested outside parties to give up pressuring Azerbaijan just because it shook hands with the TRNC. He stressed that the day will come when these outside parties would have to meet with Cyprus' other owner, the Turkish Cypriots, on a settlement based on equality and recommended that it was for this reason that they shouldn't embark on initiatives that they'd later be ashamed of.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Serdar Denktas and the Undersecretary of the State Ministry of Azerbaijan Ramil Hasanov yesterday (6 October) officially opened the Azerbaijan Economy, Culture and Cooperation Centre.

Making the opening speech, the Centre's President, Near East University Vice Rector Prof. Fahrettin Sadıkoglu, referring to the recent relations between Azerbaijan and the TRNC, said they had reached this point with the contributions of the two countries Presidents and studies carried out by Serdar Denktas and Azerbaijan State Minister Ibrahimov.

Stating that the Centre would function as a charity organization for further developing social, economic and social relations between the TRNC and Azerbaijan, Sadıkoglu said it was a joyous day to see both TRNC and Azerbaijan flags waving together and the TRNC flag would also be waved in Europe.