The official opening of the Representative Office of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in Hungary’s capital city of Budapest has taken place with wide participation.
The TRNC Representative Office in Budapest was inaugurated by TRNC Minister of Foreign Affairs Özdil Nami. The opening ceremony was attended by Şakir Fakılı, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Budapest; Dr. Vilayat Guliyev, the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Budapest; Yakup Gül, Director of the Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Centre in Budapest, as well as Hungarian officials, among many other guests.
During his speech at the opening ceremony, Foreign Minister Özdil Nami expressed that the Turkish Cypriot community has unfortunately been living under embargos and isolation for many years. Foreign Minister Nami also stated that the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs has increased its foreign contacts considerably with the vision of integrating the Turkish Cypriot people with the rest of the world. Nami stated, “This step will pave the way for the development of the increasing cultural and commercial relations with Hungary. I hope that this will act as an example for European Union member countries as well. Such strides hold great value and significance for us.”
Indicating that Hungary is a friendly and brotherly country to the Turkish Cypriots, Minister Nami also stated “I sincerely thank, on behalf of the Turkish Cypriot people, President of the Republic of Turkey His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as well as the Hungarian government for providing this opportunity.”
In the statement made by the Turkish Ambassador to Budapest, Şakir Fakılı, he expressed his contentment due to the opening of the TRNC Representative Office in Budapest, as well as his appreciation for the support and contributions of the Hungarian government towards this end. Fakılı stated, “In fact, this constitutes a contribution of Hungary towards the resolution of the Cyprus problem. As the Turkish Cypriot side and as Turkey, we are working towards the resolution of the Cyprus problem and we expect the same good will to be displayed by our counterpart.”
Arif Altay, the TRNC Representative to Budapest, stated that this is one of the happiest days of the TRNC and informed that the office, which has now been formally established, has commenced its functions. Altay further stated, “I would like to thank the officials of the Hungarian government for their support and cooperation in this regard. We sincerely hope that in the near future, there will be an opportunity to establish and develop the educational, economic, touristic and cultural ties between the TRNC and Hungary.”
Foreign Minister Özdil Nami also held various contacts yesterday within the framework of his visit to Hungary. Minister Nami met with Zsolt Csenger-Zalan, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Hungarian National Assembly, and Istivan Ijgyarto, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Foreign Minister Nami also held a meeting with György Kerekes, CEO of the Hungarian Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade, and his team.
In the statement made during the meeting, Foreign Minister Nami stated that the tourism sector in our country is important and developing, that our hotels have a bed capacity of over 20,000 and that our 6-star hotels attract tourists from all over the world. Minister Nami also indicated that foreign investors are welcome to invest in North Cyprus and that they are given incentive by our government through reasonable taxes.
Emphasizing that North Cyprus is an emerging centre for higher education in the Eastern Mediterranean, Minister Nami stated that nearly 60,000 students from various parts over the world are receiving education in our country. Nami also underlined that our universities and institutions of higher education are accredited by many international institutions.
Minister Nami invited potential businesspeople to visit the TRNC and become a part of this growing sector.
Foreign Minister Nami also met today with Turkish and Hungarian businesspeople who are involved in commerce in Hungary at a working meeting and discussed business opportunities in the TRNC, as well as the Cyprus issue. Nearly 20 businesspeople, Turkish Ambassador to Budapest Şakir Fakılı, and TRNC Representative Arif Altay attended the working meeting. Suat Karakuş, President of the Turkish-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce, presented a plaque symbolic of the day to Foreign Minister Özdil Nami.
Foreign Minister Özdil Nami also gave an interview to Levente Sitkei, Foreign Politics Journalist of the Magyar Nemzet newspaper.
