Turkish Cypriot Minister Reiterates Demand To Become Full Member Of Islamic Conference

LEFKOSA - The Turkish Cypriot foreign minister reiterated on Saturday his country's willingness to become a full member of an Islamic conference organization.
Foreign Minister Turgay Avci of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) demanded that TRNC's observer status in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) should be upgraded to full membership.
"TRNC is grateful for OIC's decisions regarding Cyprus, and it is pleasing to see that TRNC-OIC relations are developing in a positive atmosphere," Avci said in a coordination meeting of OIC foreign countries in New York.
Avci said that TRNC would host a tourism forum of the Islam world from October 27th and 29th.
The Turkish Cypriot foreign minister reiterated that his country wanted a solution to the Cyprus problem, that secured a bi-zonal structure, equal status of two founder states, political equality of the two nations, and the effective guarantee of Turkey.
Avci later met OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, and discussed the steps TRNC was planning to take next year to improve relations with OIC member states.
(BRC)
(DIP)