MOSCOW - Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Friday regarding Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat's bringing early election onto agenda that it was not right to change politicians in a critical stage.
Gul replied to questions of A.A correspondent in Moscow where he came to attend the meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Middle East Quartet.
When asked his views about Talat's statements regarding the possibility of an early elections and how a government change after early elections would affect the developments in solution of Cyprus issue, Gul said that Turkey certainly could not intervene in domestic affairs of TRNC. But, he added that it was not right to change politicians in such a critical stage while more stability was needed and it was necessary to spend the energy for other issues. He said that it would be wrong to spend energy for domestic politics and affairs. He added that there were many things to do and while Turkey was exerting efforts, Talat was also holding many meetings which were beneficial and yielding results. Thus, he noted, it was necessary not to spend the energy for other issues.
When asked whether the meetings, which they held regarding Cyprus issue, had satisfactory and concrete results, Gul said, ''I have earlier said that those are not one-night developments. Certainly there are concrete developments. There are positive decisions that were taken in many institutions and platforms which we cannot unveil.''
Noting that there were decisions which Turkey could not made them accepted for years and those would be understood better when time had come, Gul said, ''the report of the United Nations Secretary General will be submitted this week. Everybody is expecting this report. Firstly everybody is exerting efforts for this report to be a very good report.''
Noting that activities on the comprehensive program, which the European Union (EU) would release, were continuing and they were expecting the program to be released rapidly, Gul said, ''first of all, the stance in the world towards Turks, Turkey, Turkish Cypriots is an issue which cannot be gained with billions of dollars. It is necessary to see this firstly.''
Gul said that the image which was created in Western world and Islamic world in favor of Turks, Turkish Cypriots and Turkey was a gain which could not be measured with billions of dollars, adding, ''its indirect contribution to Turkey and Turkish cause is so much that this positive atmosphere will bring many concrete results and it has started to do so.''
(GC-AÖ) 21.05.2004