FOREIGN MINISTER AVCI: “OUR INITIATIVES AT THE OIC WOULD CONTINUE”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Turgay Avcý who is currently in Pakistan in order to attend the Foreign Ministers Meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) stated that the Turkish Cypriot side’s initiatives before the OIC would increasingly continue.

Foreign Minister Avcý pointed out that the Greek Cypriot side’s efforts towards preventing attempts by the TRNC to strengthen ties with OIC countries would be fruitless.

Avcý evaluated the news appeared in the Greek Cypriot press to the effect that ‘the Greek Cypriot administration has launched an initiative to block the initiatives of the TRNC before the OIC’.

According to the statement issued by the Deputy Prime Ministry and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turgay Avcý noted that the initiatives before the OIC would be intensified and the Turkish Cypriot people would benefit from the positive results of these initiatives.

“Greek Cypriot side is while on one hand using the European Union as a tool to try to prevent the opening of TRNC trade offices in Gulf States, on the other hand is continuing to claim that there isn’t any isolation on the Turkish Cypriot people”, said Foreign Minister Avcý.

Avcý stated that this latest attempt by the Greek Cypriot administration was another example of its deceitful policies.

Avcý pointed out that the Greek Cypriot side, whose lies were being exposed, was in a panic as a result of the new gainings of the TRNC.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Avcý within the framework of his contacts in Islamabad visited Turkish Ambassador to Islamabad Engin Soysal and Pakistani Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi who had visited the TRNC in March 2007. Minister Avcý also opened an exhibition where the Turkish Cypriot handicrafts were displayed. The exhibition was attended by Pakistani Culture Minister G.G. Jamal, Turkish Ambassador to Islamabad Engin Soysal and Azerbaijani Ambassador to Islamabad Eynulla Madatli.

BELGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER KAREL DE GUCHT: “THE ISOLATION OF THE TURKISH CYPRIOTS SHOULD BE EASED”

Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht responding to a written motion of questions by Senator Fatma Pehlivan (Flaman Sosialist Party sp.a) said: “We as Belgium support the decisions taken towards easing the Turkish Cypriots’ isolation by the EU in April 2004 and January 2007”.

Underlining that they wanted the issue to be immediately solved, De Gucht pointed out that there was a need for the reconciliation of two sides in Cyprus for the opening of Ercan Airport to direct flights.