Cyprus-Forum.com

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The second \\\"North Cyprus Summit\\\" of the European parliamentarians of Turkish origin was held inKyrenia.
President Mehmet Ali Talat, Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer, the acting speaker of the Republic’s Assembly Ahmet Kasif, ministers, deputies and representatives of political parties as well as civil society organizations attended the opening ceremony of the summit.

Delivering the opening speech, President Mehmet Ali Talat highlighted the importance of using the prevailing positive political atmosphere in the current Cyprus Peace Process in the best possible way.

The President underlined the need to continue working in order for this positive atmosphere to yield a solution to the Cyprus Problem.

Also speaking at the opening of the summit, Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer warned that a failure to stop efforts aimed at preventing Turkey’s EU accession process and the solution of the Cyprus Problem could create new grounds for instability.

Speeches were also delivered by the Acting parliamentary speaker Ahmet Kasif, the President of the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Commerce Hasan Ince and German Federal Deputy Hakki Keskin.

Participants discussed relations between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Europe.

Meanwhile as part of their contacts in the Republic today, the deputies visited the Lokmaci gate in the capital Lefkosa and inspected the area.

The deputies noted that the opening of the Lokmaci gate was an indication of the positive atmosphere that was surrounding the Cyprus issue.

‘Positive steps like these should continue to be taken so that trust between the two peoples on the island can also strengthen’.

Speaking on behalf of the deputies, German Parliamentarian Sevgi Hamuroglu, said that the deputies were very pleased with the decisions taken by President Mehmet Ali Talat and the leader of the Greek Cypriot administration Dimitris Hristofias to restart the negotiations process on the island.

Explaining that it was mandatory to end the international isolation of the Turkish Cypriot people as promised by the international community, Ms Hamuroglu said ‘efforts to integrate the Turkish Cypriot people into the European family will continue uninterrupted so that the island can unite under the same roof’.

After completing their inspection of the area the deputies attended a lunch given in their honour by Foreign Minister Turgay Avci in Gazimagosa.

Later the deputies carried out inspections of the Gazimagosa area.