Undersecretary Lakadamyalı attends Informal Meeting of ECO Council of Ministers

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Mustafa Lakadamyalı, delivered a speech at the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Council of Ministers Informal Meeting, held on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York.

Stating that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has had the status of Observer Member since 2012, Lakadamyalı emphasized that the TRNC is a stable Observer Member fully committed to the ECO Vision 2025 goals.

Lakadamyalı expressed the TRNC’s readiness to contribute to the ECO Vision 2025 goals, which include “trade, transport and connectivity, energy, tourism, economic growth and productivity, as well as social welfare and environment.” He also noted that institutions related to higher education, which play a significant role in the country’s economy, could create a field of cooperation with brotherly states.

Touching on the Cyprus problem in his speech, Lakadamyalı stated that the negotiations on the basis of federation had come to an end in 2017 after many years of inconclusive talks under the auspices of the United Nations and highlighted that the Turkish Cypriot side has proposed a two-state solution based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of both sides, in recognition of the realities on the island. Lakadamyalı further expressed expectations from ECO member countries to take the lead on Turkish President Erdoğan’s call for the recognition of the TRNC’s independence and for the establishment of diplomatic, political, and economic relations with the TRNC.