On 3 September President Mehmet Ali Talat received a delegation from the Executive Committee members of the Mersin Chamber for Industry and Trade and referring to the EU Foreign Ministers unofficial meeting stated that it was a grave injustice to put the Cyprus issue in front of Turkey's EU membership process.

Criticizing the EU's stance, President Talat said South Cyprus was an EU member but not European so it's aggressive stance was not befitting of the EU and it was vital that the EU find a solution to this problem as soon as possible.

The President said: "The rights of the Turkish Cypriots should not be a pawn in Turkey's EU membership process and it's impossible for the Turkish Cypriots to accept this".

Pointing out that problems regarding Turkey's EU membership process could only be settled by Turkey, the President said it was impossible for the Turkish Cypriots to contribute to this. Highlighting that a Cyprus settlement depended on the Turkish and Greek Cypriots, he said; "It's unacceptable for any institution to exert pressure on Turkey so that she can give up supporting us, and to try and take away the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people by excluding us".

Continuing, President Talat said:

"The rights of the Turkish Cypriots have evolved over a long period of time. Our equal political rights in the 'Republic of Cyprus' have further improved and by registering this in UN resolutions it has been confirmed that relations in Cyprus is not one of minority-majority but, one between equals. Uniting the two equal sides and two equal states under the roof of a federal settlement has become the main parameters of the UN.

It is for this reason that efforts to try and eliminate all this today by requesting and ensuring that Turkey recognizes the 'Republic of Cyprus', is not only an impossible request, but also a grave injustice. The EU should not have recognized a state in which the Turkish Cypriots are not included".

Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer, pointing out that the rate of development in 2003 was 11% and that by 2004 this figure had increased to 14%, said it was expected that this year the figure would be even higher. He said closing the gap between the two side's economies would contribute greatly to settling the Cyprus problem.

Speaking during a meeting with the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, who are currently in the TRNC to participate in the 6^th Local Products Fair, Prime Minister Soyer said when the figures for 2003 and 2004 were compared it was identified that there was a large increase in imports. He said:

"Our total imports have increased from 270-300 million US Dollars to 800 million US Dollars and exports have increased from 50 million US Dollars to 62 million US Dollars. Our revenue from tourism has also increased significantly to over 270 million US Dollars. An important part of our current proceeding deficit must largely be overcome by increasing our export and tourism revenues and we must continue to progress. There is an important increase in tourism investments which is very encouraging and in line with this our exports will also increase".

He also added that almost 80% of imports were from Turkey and that this was "important, serious and good".

A cooperation protocol was signed between the TRNC Chamber for Industry and the Syria-Halep Chamber of Commerce.

Salih Tunar, the President of the TRNC Chamber for Industry and Abdullatif Badenjk, the Deputy President of the Syria-Halep Aleppo Chamber of Commerce signed the protocol. Executive Committee members from both Chambers were also present during the signing of the protocol.