Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Turgay Avcý was awarded “The Year’s Prize of Contribution to Peace” within the framework of “2006 Turkish Success Awards” organized by the Association of Turkish Businesswomen (TIKAD), Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) and True Magazine. Chairman of Board of Directors of the TRNC Television Channel ‘Genç TV’ Ertan Birinci also received an honour plaquette “for being successful in making the TRNC’s voice heard in the world”.

Speaking during the award ceremony, took place in “Otel Les Ottomans” in Istanbul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Turgay Avcý, who received “The Year’s Prize of Contribution to Peace” from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdođan, stated that peace was very important for Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot people have been struggling to achieve this for more than 40 years.

Pointing out that the Turkish Cypriot people have always felt Turkey and Turkish people by their side in their struggle towards peace, Avcý said Turkey would have great contributions for the ending of the Turkish Cypriots’ isolation and for helping them to achieve peace and justice which they deserve.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Turgay Avcý and his accompanying delegation who were in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for series of contacts, yesterday (25 January) returned to the TRNC.

Foreign Minister Avcý held a press conference at Ercan Airport and gave information about his contacts in Saudi Arabia.

Explaining that within the framework of his program he carried out various contacts in Saudi Arabia and Istanbul, stated that his visit to Saudi Arabia, which was before his Istanbul visit, had shown how much they placed importance on the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and Saudi Arabia.

Avcý pointed to the fact that the presence of the Chairman of the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Commerce Erdil Nami amongst his delegation “was the indication of their efforts to strengthen the relations with the OIC and the Islamic countries and spread these relations to many various sectors”.

Minister Avcý pointed out that during their four-day (20-24 January) visit to Jeddah, they had held very fruitful contacts, they were treated with kindness and friendship and they had carried out negotiations where concrete and effective measures were discussed.

Explaining that during their meeting with the Director of Islamic Solidarity Fund Ghazi Bakhsh, they had discussed the projects to be presented to the Fund, Avcý said the Fund gave priority to educational, religious and social projects. He added that with their meeting with the President of Jeddah Chamber of Industry and Commerce Salah Halil Al Turki and Chamber’s Board of Directors, the TRNC had broken new ground. Avcý stated that during this meeting where Erdil Nami also attended “concrete steps were taken towards increasing trade between the TRNC and Jeddah and consolidating trade relations with reciprocal visits”.

“For us, economic achievements are as vital as political ones” said Turgay Avcý and stressed that contacts will continue intensively with this approach.

Stating that they had observed with pleasure the fact that there was a great trade potential between the TRNC and Saudi Arabia especially in agricultural products as well as in the fields of tourism and education, Foreign Minister Avcý said in the forthcoming days, there would be intensive contacts between Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Jeddah Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

Referring to his meeting with the OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanođlu and his delegation at the OIC headquarters, Avcý pointed out that they had focused on the relations between the TRNC and the OIC and carried out important studies regarding the concrete steps to be taken.

Noting that they had evaluated “Cyprus Action Plan”, which was put forward in the draft resolution on Cyprus, accepted in the 33rd OIC Foreign Ministers Meeting, Avcý said: “A detailed work has been carried out for speeding up its implementation”.

Adding that they had also discussed the steps to be taken in order to maintain continuous and healthy relations between the OIC and the TRNC, Minister Avcý said they had expressed that within this framework, new arrangements in the structure of the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be rapidly implemented.

Avcý explained that during the meeting they had also discussed the role to be played by the OIC in developing the relations between the TRNC and OIC member countries and stressed that opening to these countries was the main duty of the TRNC Foreign Ministry.

Referring to the dinner hosted in their honour by Ihsanođlu in the same day, Foreign Minister Avcý said they had the opportunity to speak with the respectful businessmen of Saudi Arabia and foreign diplomats, besides OIC high-level officials and stated that they had noticed that these businessmen were very much interested in the TRNC. He added his aim was to turn this interest into concrete projects.

He noted that businessmen in Jeddah are willing to invest in North Cyprus tourism and to co-operate with respective departments at Universities across the Republic.

Avcý noted that during the meeting with the President of Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Dr. Ahmet Mohammed Ali and high-level officials of the IDB, where they had discussed the projects to be presented to IDB, they had received the moral support of Mohammed Ali and other high-level officials.

Avcý added that the abovementioned meeting immediately bore its fruits, because Mohammed Ali announced that they had increased the amount to be given to the symposium on “Environment”, which would take place in the Near East University in February, from 25 thousand US Dollars to 100 thousand US Dollars.

Avcý evaluating his meeting as very fruitful, where concrete proposals and projects were discussed, said in order to receive the outcome of these meetings and continue with these intensive efforts TRNC Foreign Ministry would play an active role for materializing this.

While delivering his speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has made statements that by no means reflect the truth. Karamanlis alleged that the presence of the Turkish troops on the island is “morally, politically and logically unacceptable”.

We would like to remind Mr. Karamanlis that the only army whose presence in Cyprus is in accordance with the international agreements is the Turkish Army. However, Mr. Karamanlis should also be reminded that in Cyprus there is not only the Greek Cypriot Army of National Guard (GCANG), whose troops are around 80 thousand together with the reserves, functioning without any legal basis, but also the Greek Army itself disguised as the Greek Cypriot Army of National Guard. If Prime Minister Karamanlis is ashamed of the foreign troops on our island, he should withdraw the Greek troops that should be under his command and spend efforts to dissolve the Greece supported GCANG, raised to eradicate the presence of Turks on the island.

In his speech, bearing lessons that should be learned, the Turkish Ground Forces Commander, Mr. Ýlker Baţbuđ, who paid a visit to the TRNC and has a significant position in the chain of command of the Turkish Armed Forces, said “As the Turkish Armed Forces we always desire a comprehensive, just and lasting peace and settlement to be reached within the framework of the UN for the Cyprus Issue”. Since the Turkish Armed Forces will reorganize their presence on the island in accordance with the new agreements after a just and lasting settlement is reached, what should be done is to spend efforts to contribute for reaching a just and lasting settlement to the Cyprus Issue. As long as Mr. Karamanlis and the Greek Cypriot side spend efforts to contribute reaching a just and lasting settlement on the island, they will also have spent efforts for reducing of the troops on the island and demilitarization in the long term.