TRNC HOSTED  AN IMPORTANT  ORGANIZATION:
“ADVISORY  BOARD MEETING  OF THE OIC YOUTH FORUM  CONCLUDED YESTERDAY”

The International Advisory Board Meeting of the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation which   started at the Mercure Hotel in Girne concluded yesterday.
At the two days  meeting  articles on the subjects of   ‘The Youth for Alliance of Civilizations Initiative: Financial Issues, UN Experiences ’ and   “Fear of Islam and West: How  Can Youth  be Pep up  to Struggle with  Fear”  were discussed   by the OIC Advisory Board  and participants.

The Forum which was opened by the speeches of   TRNC  Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Turgay Avci  and OIC Youth Forum Advisory Board President  Ali Sarýkaya was   attended by OIC Youth Forum Advisory Board Deputy President Anas Al-Fallah,      OIC Youth Forum Advisory Board  General Secretary  Elshad Iskandarov, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization Director  Mongi Bousnina, representatives from the United Nations Development Programme and  the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, parliamentarians from the Azerbaijan, and a delegation of 25 people from the Islamic Conference Youth Forum Secretariat.

Primary goals of the Islamic Conference Youth Forum are to maintain and strengthen the status and interests of the OIC member countries on the international platform, form an international centre for the world youth, based on knowledge and experience, and to enable the youth in the OIC member countries to maintain their policies in the most constructive and creative way.

Delivering an opening speech at the forum, Deputy Prime Minister Foreign Minister Turgay Avci pointed to the importance of the Youth Forum of the Islamic Conference.

 Avci explaining that North Cyprus acted as a bridge between the east and west because of its strategic location said  ‘It’s through this forum that the Turkish Cypriot Youth  will voice its rightful cause to the international community as well as integrate with the rest of the world youth’. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Avcý   pointing  out that he was very pleased to see  TRNC hosted  the meeting  of the Islamic Conference Youth Forum  for Dialogue and  Cooperation, which was organized by the European Council, Islamic Education,  Science and  Culture Organization  and  United Nation’s Development Programme’s joint initiative said  the meeting  was held within the framework of the decisions taken by the OIC on Cyprus.

Avci stressed that TRNC, despite its small size, was a country that could potentially play an important role under the OIC and its sub-organizations and indicated it would continue to make contributions to OIC activities.  Foreign Minister  Avci drew attention to the increase in conflict around the globe and said that cooperation and understanding between civilised nations should be encouraged without losing time.

Minister Avci asked all EU member states to embrace the idea; "All different, All equal" put forth by the European Council and  to immediately remove all embargoes over the Turkish Cypriot people and youth.

Also speaking at the event, the President of the International Advisory Board of the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation Ali Sarikaya stressed that Turkish Cypriots were forced to live under unjust embargoes and hardships though they accepted UN's plan for a solution.

Sarikaya said that the OIC exerted efforts to alleviate these hardships and indicated it would continue to do so in the future.

The participants of the meeting will visit historical and cultural sites today and will be received by TRNC President Mehmet Ali Talat and Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer.