Today, Foreign Minister Özdil Nami visited the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce.
At the meeting, Fikri Toros, President of the TCCC, congratulated Foreign Minister Özdil Nami for his initiative to open a Representative Office in Hungary, and also expressed his views pertaining to the recent crisis related to the hydrocarbon exploration activities taking place in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Foreign Minister Özdil Nami expressed that the TRNC Representative Office in Hungary opened within the framework of the Foreign Ministry’s strong vision aiming to integrate the Turkish Cypriots with the rest of the world. Minister Nami also relayed information to TCCC President Toros pertaining to his contacts in Hungary, including the meetings he conducted with Turkish and Hungarian businesspeople.
Foreign Minister Özdil Nami stated that following the commencement of unilateral hydrocarbon exploration and drilling activities by South Cyprus, Turkey’s seismic exploration activities are continuing with a view to protecting the rights of the Turkish Cypriots in the region, and added that the Greek Cypriot side has used this as an excuse to abandon the negotiating table.
Minister Nami also expressed that the issue of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) is a controversial aspect of the Cyprus problem and that the resolution of this issue should also be sought at the negotiating table. Foreign Minister Özdil Nami indicated that once the Cyprus problem is resolved, all controversial issues on the Island can also be resolved under a federal umbrella.
Conveying information to Toros regarding the recent developments related to the Cyprus problem, Minister Nami emphasized that it is unacceptable for the Greek Cypriot side to take unilateral initiatives and leave the negotiating table. Minister Nami added that the most recent crisis symbolizes the gravity of the Cyprus problem and that a settlement should be reached without further delay.