SARAJEVO - Turkey wished that Cyprus would become an island of peace and freedom, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
The Summit of Southeast European Countries Co-operation Process Heads of State and Government ended in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Erdogan, who attended the meeting, held a press conference with heads of state and government of other participating countries.
Asked if he had concern over simultaneous referenda to be held in Cyprus on April 24, Erdogan said, ''we don't have any worries. We had good faith when we started our initiatives. We wished that Cyprus issue would be solved positively. This positive result is ''yes'' votes of the two sides in the island. We wish that Cyprus will become an island of peace and freedom on the basis of ''win-win'' principle.''
Delegations from Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Turkey, Greek Cypriot side and Greece held Cyprus negotiations in Buergenstock, Switzerland from March 24 to 31. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis joined the negotiations between March 29 and 31.
United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General Kofi Annan presented his final plan to the parties at the end of negotiations in Buergenstock on March 31.
This final plan will be put to simultaneous referenda in TRNC and Greek Cypriot side on April 24.
Erdogan went to Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday.
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, who met with Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis on Wednesday, said after the meeting that they would always preserve their good will mutually on Cyprus.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis, Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and Greek Foreign Minister Petros Moliviatis held a quartet meeting in Sarajevo the same day. During the meeting, Turkish and Greek sides discussed the Cyprus issue and the bilateral relations.
Speaking at the Seventh Summit of Heads of State and Government of Southeast European Countries Co-operation Process, Erdogan said, '' when foundation efforts for the Southeast European Countries Co-operation Process started about eight years ago, today's level of co-operation among the Balkan countries was unimaginable. Today, ongoing reform process and co-operation in our region which was described in the past as the powder keg of Europe, have reached an exemplary level for the other regions in the world.''
Erdogan was received by Presidency Chairman Sulejman Tihic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and met with Prime Minister Adnan Terzic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader of Croatia and Prime Minister Fatos Nano of Albania.
(BRC) 21.04.2004