ANKARA (AA) - TRNC President Mehmet Ali Talat, Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer and Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas arrived in Ankara on Thursday.
Responding to questions of journalists at Esenboga Airport, Talat said that they were paying the first working visit to Turkey after the parliamentary and presidential elections in TRNC.
Referring to the recent developments about Cyprus issue, Talat said that UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Sir Kieran Prendergast came to TRNC, some contacts were made with the EU and a Turkish Foreign Ministry delegation paid a working visit to TRNC. Talat said that ''today we will have a meeting in Ankara to determine our policy together.''
Talat stressed that they wanted to make a general evaluation prior to the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the US.
Confirming that he would also meet Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Talat stressed that their visit was a working visit, not a protocol one.
Talat said that the visit of US Congressmen delegation and their arrival directly at TRNC's Ercan Airport was a positive step that needed to be taken.
''Certainly we favor a final settlement of Cyprus problem, but a climate should also be formed to help Turkish Cypriots until that final settlement. For that respect, the isolations/blockade should be lifted. This visit can be perceived as the first step in this regard,'' Talat said.
Talat stressed that the steps taken to date was not sufficient, adding that they expected EU to adopt two regulations about Cyprus and they also expected the start of direct flights.
Upon another question, Talat said that Papadopoulos's demands of amendment on Annan Plan was outside the parameters of Annan Plan.
(֓-A֩
2005-06-02