PRESIDENT TALAT MET WITH TURKISH PRESIDENT ABDULLAH GUL IN ANKARA
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Turkey have reiterated their support to an early settlement in Cyprus that will be found on the basis of UN-parameters.
The TRNC President Mehmet Ali Talat and Turkish President Abdullah Gul told a joint press conference at the end of a meeting in Ankara today that there are no differences between the positions of the two countries on the Cyprus issue.
The Cyprus issue was the main topic of the meeting between the two Presidents who referred their discussions as very useful.
Mr Gul said that Turkey is in support of the United Nations Secretary General’s Good Offices Mission in Cyprus, adding that a settlement should be based on standing UN parameters.
He listed political equality and real bi-zonality and the formation of a new partnership as basic parameters of a solution.
Stressing the importance Ankara attaches to the continuation of the Treaties of Guarantee and Alliance, he said a settlement should maintain the balance between Turkey and Greece in the region.
Mr Gul also expressed the hope that an agreement will be reached in Cyprus by the end of the year.
`Final objective is to bring lasting peace to Cyprus, making it possible for the whole island, Turkey and Greece to create an area of cooperation within the European Union` he said.
The TRNC President, for his part, said that important progress has been achieved at the talks continuing between the two sides in Cyprus.
However, he said a lot remains to be done.
`30 joint papers were prepared on the 3 of the 6 main topics taken up at the talks. These are the fruits of intense efforts`, the President said, adding that more work should be carried out to narrow and remove the differences between the two sides.
He also noted that there is enough time to achieve this.
`Our objective is to achieve this by the end of the year, but the Greek Cypriot Side should support this objective` he said.
`But, if the Greek Cypriot Side is dreaming of putting pressure on Turkey and us through the European Union, we will not be responsible for the result`, he said.
The President also repeated that a comprehensive solution would be put to the approval of the two peoples in Cyprus and said `if there is a will, there is a way`.
Welcoming the support Turkey has been providing to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Mr Talat said `it is pleasing to see once again that there are no differences between our positions`.
Pointing out that Turkey is the only country recognizing the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, he said `we would be alone and weaker at the talks, if we didn’t enjoy this support`.
The two leaders continued their talks at a lunch given by Mr Gul in honor of President Talat.
In the afternoon, the TRNC President met with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Minister of State – Chief Negotiator with the European Union Egemen Bagis.
Tonight, the Turkish Foreign Minister is hosting a dinner in honor of Mr Talat.
Tomorrow morning, the President will hold discussions with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Source:
http://www.brtk.cc/index.php/lang/tr/cat/178
