ISTANBUL - Ankara and Lefkosa welcomed the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) decision allowing Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus`s (TRNC) to attend following meetings of the OIC as ``Turkish Cypriot State``, sources said on Wednesday.
Diplomatic sources noted that the decision did not mean either ``recognition`` or ``acknowledgement`` and added that but TRNC would have some opportunities in the OIC with this decision although its observer status did not change.
Any change is not foreseen in the status of TRNC attending OIC meetings as ``observer``.
A high-level official told the A.A correspondent that although TRNC`s status in the OIC was not improved vertically, its status changed horizontally and stated that its reason was that observers in OIC were listed as ``minorities, groups, organizations and states.``
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Thailand were the only observer states till the 31st session of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Foreign Ministers in Istanbul. According the decision taken in this meeting, the number of observer states reached three with ``Turkish Cypriot State``.
Sources stressed that observer members called as ``state`` could establish closer bilateral contacts with OIC members than the other observers.
TRNC Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas who replied to questions on Tuesday said that ``our friends` demands earlier were rejected politely during meetings of OIC that we have been attending for years. But we had the chance to meet with 16 foreign ministers on the first day of OIC in Istanbul.``
(EÖ-AÖ) 16.06.2004