LEFKOSA - ''There is no change in Turkey's policies and the de facto situation,'' said Turkish State Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener when commenting on press reports that foreign airline companies, directly flying to the Greek Cypriot administration, were allowed to use Turkish air space.
Sener, who is actually visiting the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), denied those press reports, and stressed that Cyprus is a national cause.
''It is impossible for the Greek Cypriot ships and planes to enter Turkish territorial waters and air space, and benefit from Turkish ports and airports unless isolation of the TRNC ends. It is a firm policy, and we will never make concessions from it. Moreover, the Greek Cypriot ships and planes have not entered Turkish ports and air space,'' indicated Sener.
Yesterday, Turkish press claimed that ''Ankara has opened Turkish air space to airlines carrying passengers to Larnaka in the Greek Cypriot administration.'' In related reports, it was said, ''this development, which occurred when we are discussing whether or not to open our ports to Greek Cypriot ships, is important because it shows that Ankara has started to be more flexible about some matters. This means that we can see some new 'interim steps' regarding ports in the future.''