STATEMENT BY THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ASSOC. PROF. TURGAY AVCI

At a time when the bloody handed terrorist organization PKK is continuing its ruthless attacks against Motherland Turkey, the members of PKK who are being embraced by the Greek Cypriot administration, organized a rally in South Cyprus yesterday during which atrocious slogans were chanted against Turkey and our state. We strongly condemn the insults directed to the elected leaders of our state and Turkey and the consent given for such insults .

It has once again become clear that the Greek Cypriot administration does not refrain from lending support to the destructive activities of separatist terrorist organisation PKK that has also opened a bureau in South Cyprus to carry out its terrorist activities and has murdered more than thirty thousand Turkish citizens. The Turkish Cypriot side had repeatedly informed all the relevant parties that the Greek Cypriot administration not only refrains from preventing the increasing PKK activities in South Cyprus but also lends this terrorist organization political, material and logistic support.

As it will be recalled, the “2006 Country Report on Terrorism” published in 2007 by the U.S. State Department had also confirmed the activities of PKK in South Cyprus supporting terrorism. Furthermore, the fact that the terrorist leader Abdullah Öcalan was arrested in Kenya at the Embassy of Greece with a diplomatic passport belonging to the Greek Cypriot intelligence officer Lazaros Mavros, is still fresh in our memories.

The Turkish Cypriot people, who personally suffered from terrorism by EOKA – an organization which had committed crimes against humanity between the years 1955-1974 - were ousted from 1960 Partnership Republic by force of arms, and has always condemned terrorism irrespective of its source. We would like to declare once again that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which represents the Turkish Cypriot people, acts in solidarity and collaboration with the international community in the fight against terrorism.

We once again strongly condemn the EU member Greek Cypriot administration, which harbours terrorism in contrary to the joint efforts of the international community against terrorism which poses a threat to world peace and security and remind the international community that the Greek Cypriot side should not be allowed to aid and abet terrorism.

26 October 2007, Lefkoşa.