LEFKOSA - Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Monday, ''Turkey will continue supporting Turkish Cypriots till the end.''
President Rauf Denktas of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) received the Turkish delegation that came to the TRNC earlier in the day to attend tomorrow's ceremonies to mark the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day.
Speaking at the meeting on behalf of the delegation, Gul said, ''thirty years ago, the future of Turkish Cypriots was under a serious threat. The Peace Operation put an end to that threat. The operation provided stability not only in northern part of island, but in the whole region. Turkish Cypriot people have succeeded in defending their rightful case since the operation. They founded their own state and democratic structure.''
''Turkey will continue supporting Turkish Cypriot people till the end. Turkey will do everything in its power to this end. It will maintain political and economic support to TRNC,'' he said.
Noting that the referenda in Cyprus on April 24 had revealed that the Turkish Cypriot side was in favor of peace and solution, Gul added, ''the world has begun seeing the facts at last.''
GUL: PROMISES GIVEN TO TURKISH CYPRIOTS SHOULD BE KEPT
Speaking at the meeting on behalf of the delegation, Gul said, ''the Greek Cypriot side should fulfil its commitments. The Turkish Cypriot side displayed its good will months ago by opening the doors. Now, Turkish Cypriot people expect the Greek Cypriot side to display the same good will.''
''The Turkish Cypriot side proved that it was in favor of peace and solution by voting yes in the referenda in the island on April 24. Also, the Greek Cypriot side showed that it did not represent the Turkish Cypriot people in the referenda. All these facts were mentioned in the report of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan,'' he said.
Recalling that the European Commission ratified a package of proposals about TRNC, Gul said, ''now, the European Council should approve the package to lift commercial embargoes of the TRNC. Also direct flights to the TRNC should start. If those, who gave all these promises, fail to keep them, we will have the right to think and act unilaterally. Therefore, these promises should be kept.''
(MS) 19.07.2004