Turkish Cypriots celebrate

21 November, 2017

The North Cyprus Turkish Representative Office in Budapest has celebrated the 34th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Selda Çimen, the Representative at the Budapest office, hosted a reception at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on November 14

Ms Çimen told the gathering that for Turkish Cypriot people, 15 November 1983 is a crucial milestone in their march to freedom. She said the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was established on the basis of the right to self-determination, and “Today we have a fully-fledged democratic state where the rule of law prevails, all institutions are intact and the Parliament represents the will of the people.

“Apart from being a country for education with its internationally approved 15 universities and more than 90,000 students from all over the world, with its historical and natural attractions, Northern Cyprus is an attractive tourism destination,” Ms Çimen said.

The North Cyprus Representative Office had been active in Hungary since 2014. “We are grateful to the Hungarian government to host us here in this beautiful city of Budapest. We hope that our already existing friendly relations will be furthered in the fields of common interest.”

Ms Çimen said she wanted to touch upon the efforts at finding a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus. “At the Conference on Cyprus in Crans Montana (in Switzerland in June this year) held with the participation of the guarantor states of Cyprus, despite the sincere efforts of the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey, the Greek Cypriots did not show the political will to resolve the Cyprus conflict on the basis of a bi-communal bi-zonal federation with political equality and a new partnership,” she asserted.

“Therefore, 50-year-long negotiations to resolve the Cyprus conflict through a comprehensive settlement under the current United Nations parameters once again ended without any result.

“The failure of the negotiating process demonstrates that the Greek Cypriot side is not ready to enter into any partnership on the basis of power-sharing with the Turkish Cypriot side and puts into question whether a settlement based on the current parameters is possible.

“Geography naturally compels the two people of Cyprus, namely the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots, to be good neighbours and to live side by side on the island. Now it is high time that we direct our efforts to finding new, realistic ways to promote mutual respect and peaceful coexistence as good neighbours. This is both or hope and responsibility to future generations.”