PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN CYPRUS

Giving a written answer to the Republican People's Party Zonguldak Deputy Ali Ihsan Kokturk's parliamentary question , Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis stated that, the referendum for the Annan Plan set forth clearly the message of the Turkish Cypriots and added that the sides for and against peace, welfare and integration in the world were understood clearly.

"We have to continue our superiority resulting from our remedial attitude" said Bagis. He also added that for this reason Turkey attached great importance to the continuation of the negotiations by Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) headed by the President Mehmet Ali Talat.

Implying that Turkey and TRNC has always been one step ahead for solution and peace about Cyprus issue and that fact has been accepted by all the world now , Bagis said: "We achieved this without withdrawing a soldier or even without giving a piece of land and by conserving our national honour, dignity and keeping our head high."

Emphasizing that the whole world has acknowledged Turkey's and TRNC's rightfulness and attached importance to the continuation of this process also, Bagis said they would carry on with their efforts to hold negotiations, to reach a common understanding and to provide a rational and permanent solution.

Bagis stated that they never had a submissive attitude throughout their government and didn't make concessions from Turkey's and TRNC's national interests and added "Cyprus is the national case of everyone living in Turkey and our government will continue to adopt it."

Indicating that the presidential election to be held in TRNC in April would be realized within the framework of right to elect and be elected which is one of the basic democratic rights and freedoms of citizens, Minister Bagis continued as follows:

"Whatever the results of the election would be, we have no doubt that Turkish Cypriots will continue their remedial attitude. Again, our government policies don't involve the interference of Turkey to any election held in Cyprus. Whoever will be the new president of TRNC elected by the Turkish Cypriots in a democratic atmosphere, s/he, as a democratic consequence, will have policies aiming the continuation of the negotiations and achieving a solution and s/he will reshape the policies of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in accordance with his/her views and within the limits of his/her authority.

As a candidate country to the EU, Turkey continues to carry on the negotiations. When considered within this framework, we always observe that the Government of the Southern Cyprus which is a Member of the EU does not abstain from the exploitation of Turkey's membership process. Even though Turkey's accession process is tried to be associated with the Cyprus issue, in every occasion and every platform we express that the solution can be found not in Brussels but in Nicosia. It is not something new that the Greek Part refers the Cyprus issue to the EU and expects the correction of its own mistakes from the EU. However, commonsense and a fore-sighted approach is dominant in the EU. We hope that the EU will maintain this commonsense concerning the Cyprus issue also in 2010. The EU is aware of the Turkey and TRNC's efforts and demand for the solution."

Bagis explained that TRNC's decisive steps in the EU harmonization process were the indicators of the Turkish Cypriots' ambition for a solution.

Stating that as a guarantor country, Turkey would continue to carry out its responsibilities on this issue; Bagis pointed that Cyprus issue could only be solved within the UN framework.

Minister Bagis continued as follows:

"We will continue to support the negotiations between the two parties and support a permanent and fair solution which will guarantee the security of the parties and the political equality and the principle of bizonality."

As a young country, TRNC proved its success in the field of democracy by various elections held. Even in times when the negotiation conditions weren't equal and when there were foreign interferences, government of the Republic of Turkey never interfered verbally or physically to the democratic elections in TRNC. On the contrary, our government believes that including the elections, all types of experiences regarding democracy were important milestones on the way to a solution."

Source: AA