The Minister of Foreign Affairs Özdil Nami met with Deputy Assistant Secretary of US Department of State Eric Rubin the day before.

During the meeting, FM Nami talked about the negotiation process and expressed Turkish Cypriot side’s point of view regarding the process in Cyprus.

Moreover, Nami pointed out that current tempo of negotiations is not at the desired level and stressed that negotiations should be speeded up in order to reach a final settlement in the island.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is going to organize a handicrafts exhibition themed ‘Miracle of Cocoon’ in Ankara under the auspices of the TRNC Ankara Embassy.

The exhibition will be organized in cooperation with the ‘Association of Research and Maintenance of Cyprus Turkish Handicrafts.’ The exhibition will be open to visitors between 8-12 April 2014 at Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum. Particularly silk cocoon, Lefkara and Lapta handicrafts will be exhibited at the exhibition.

Photo exhibition organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to the 50th anniversary of United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has been opened.

The exhibition themed ‘50 Year Long Story, UNFICYP in Cyprus’ which is composed of photos depicting 50 years of UNFICYP in the island has been opened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Özdil Nami. Chief of missions based in Cyprus and the foreign media members have also participated in the exhibition.

In his opening speech Foreign Minister Özdil Nami said: “We would like to invite you to a visual tour encompassing the last 50 years of Cyprus. Blue bereted UN soldiers arrived in Cyprus fifty years ago amid political chaos and rampant violence where Turkish Cypriots endured ever deteriorating conditions.

This exhibition tries to play a modest part in documenting these troubled five decades;
Reminding everyone including ourselves that Cyprus is still a divided country and those fifty
years is more than enough.

Cyprus and Turkish Cypriots have gone through many ordeals during the past half century; decolonization, civil strife, a failed state, mass expulsions, massacres, life in ghettos for many
years and an eventual liberation followed by countless rounds of talks that all failed to reach a
comprehensive settlement.

Winds of hope are once again blowing on both sides of the island following the resumption
of comprehensive talks; our expectation is that with political leadership and volition our island will embrace peace for good. Alas;

Fifty years is enough!

The exhibition captures instances of our collective memories. It is a visual itinerary of how
our lives have taken turns in these past five decades; how Cyprus missed to become an island
of peace, how we failed to build a Cyprus for all. We hope that this exhibition will help us
draw lessons from a past we missed and shed light to our future with our fifty years of loss.

We leave you alone with the exhibition with the hope that we will forgive without forgetting,
face the past without blaming and turn our losses into gains for future.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Özdil Nami met with authorities of the two public unions KTAMS and KAMU-SEN in his office today.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs completed it’s studies regarding the ‘appointment regulation’ which will regulate assignment conditions of the officers of Foreign Ministry. This regulation proposes an advisory council in which unions will also take place.

According to this regulation, assignments will be under a council and it proposes a more transparent and democratic process. Mentioned regulation will be brought to the agenda of the next session of the Council of Ministers by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Both unions expressed their satisfaction for the regulation and thanked to Minister Nami for his democratic understanding.

Foreign Minister Nami indicated that meeting of the leaders once a month and meeting of the negotiators once a week is not sufficient for reaching an agreement in the Cyprus issue.

In a program at BRTK yesterday, Foreign Minister Nami said related to an agreement in the island: “Expectations are too much in both sides. Both peoples are ready. In spite of all these, time is still needed for the process of give-and-take.”

Recording that time is needed for the process of give-and-take Nami said that it has been clear with the latest statements of the Greek Cypriots authorities  that they are not ready for this. Nami also said that the Greek Cypriot Administration slowed the process down, they cannot achieve anything with the monthly meetings and he added that this has been conveyed to the Greek side.

Nami: “Greek side has not approved this. Meeting once a week at the level of negotiators is not acceptable. This tempo should be speeded up.”

Within the framework of his contacts in Germany, Foreign Minister Özdil Nami had an interview with German weekly newsmagazine ‘Der Spiegel’. The interview was published under the headline “Cyprus ‘a Historical Opportunity’ ”. During the interview, FM Nami evaluated his contacts in Germany and mentioned the Cyprus problem and the negotiation process in Cyprus.

“During the process of reunification, we demanded Germany’s support. Finally, Turkish and Greek Cypriots are ready for this step after 40 years so this should not fail. We are here for that purpose” Nami added.

Stressing that Germany can make positive contributions to the negotiation process, FM Nami said that Germans are powerful within the European Union and expert on the issues of reunification. Pointing out that Turkish Cypriots are not members of the European Union and live under isolations, Nami added: “Today, our university students can not participate in Erasmus and Socrates programs, our businessmen can not make direct agreements in the European Union countries and there is not any direct flight to the North Cyprus”.

Moreover, stating that compared to the EU countries, TRNC is less developed; FM Nami said that a special program is needed to reach the EU standards in the fields of infrastructure, administration and education.

Expressing that in case of reunification of the island, Europe’s dependency on Russia can be reduced due to the gas reservoirs around the island, FM Nami said “We can help Europe in this issue”.

Pointing out that the agreement can be ready to be signed within a few months, FM said “However, Greek Cypriots should act quicker”. As an answer to a question if there is a possibility for the failing of negotiations and the permanence of island’s division, Nami said “No one desires a two-state solution. What is really desired is a federal state structure. The necessary political will exists for this so now it is time to take further steps.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Özdil Nami said that a chance should be given to the efforts spent for reaching a comprehensive solution in the island.

FM Nami came together with the businessmen at the office of Turkish-German Chamber of Trade and Industry (TDIHK) in Berlin within the context of his Germany contacts yesterday and gave information regarding the negotiation process in Cyprus.

Giving a speech Nami reminded that last month an agreement was reached on a joint statement between President Eroğlu and the Greek Cypriot leader in Cyprus and besides the principal issues agreed on before, there were also new issues and this gave them hope and this should be utilized.

Indicating the referendum in 2004 for the Annan Plan, Nami said that Turkish side and the whole world supported the Annan Plan however the Greek Cypriot side opposed and thus unification was not realized. Nami also expressed that the TRNC has not been able to use the advantages of being an EU member and has been forced to continue living under the isolations.