Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Serdar Denktas, indicating that even before starting its negotiations with Turkey, the EU wanted to impose political criteria in the first chapters, said this should be carefully evaluated by Turkey.

Speaking to the Anatolian News Agency correspondent in Brussels, Serdar Denktas, pointing out that there were some question marks regarding the financial aid regulation said: "Different and contradictory things are being said by Brussels and the Greek Cypriot press. We'll find out which one is true. The Greek Cypriots could distort the issue, but there's no smoke without fire".

He said Turkey was continuing to follow its 'determined stance' beside the TRNC and that this stance should be protected if a possible crisis emerged during Turkey's EU accession process.

"Just as much as Turkey needs the EU, the EU also needs Turkey and a difficult bargaining period has been entered into, in which whoever takes the first backward step will lose", he said.

Continuing, Serdar Denktas said: "Even before starting its negotiations with Turkey, the EU wanted to impose political criteria in the first chapters. Turkey should carefully evaluate this. From the outset it became clear that if Turkey made concessions to the EU, negotiations could not continue".

Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the Deputy Prime Ministry and Ministry for Foreign Affairs, within the framework of his contacts in Brussels, on 28 March Serdar Denktas met with the Chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, Elmar Brok. During the meeting the EU'S relations with the TRNC, especially the latest developments on the Cyprus issue and the financial aid and direct trade regulations were taken up.

Serdar Denktas also attended the Turkish Cypriot Handicraft Exhibition and the opening of the NTV Brussels office.

Today (30 March), Serdar Denktas is expected to meet with the Leader of the European Liberal Party, Annemie Neyts-Uytterbroeck.

Initiatives to export citrus products produced in North Cyprus from the port of Limassol were protested with a strike at the port of Famagusta and a demonstration at the border gates.

A demonstration to leave work was carried out by the Turkish Cypriot Port Workers Company, the Turkish Cypriot Association of Shipping Agencies, the Turkish Cypriot Brokers Association and the Turkish Cypriot Union for Port and Vehicle Workers (Liman-Sen) in the port of Famagusta. The demonstration lasted for 4 hours.

Meanwhile, the Association for Turkish Cypriot Public Vehicle Operators and other institutions linked to this Association and the Turkish Cypriot International Transporters Association demonstrated for nearly one and a half hours at the Metehan border gate as well as the Ikibucuk Mil border gate.

In a statements issued it was stated that exporting Turkish Cypriot citrus products from the port of Limassol under the name of the Green Line Regulation, was a political game being played by Papadopoulos, the EU and the USA and these initiatives would politically damage the Turkish Cypriots.

The Turkish Cypriot member of the Autonomous Missing Persons Committee and the Director of Political Affairs of the TRNC Deputy Prime Ministry and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmet Erdengiz, issued a statement regarding the blood samples that were taken for DNA testing of the missing persons.

Underlining that blood samples were being taken by teams from the DNA laboratory that was set up under the leadership of Dr. Eyup Gemicioglu, Erdengiz said the first blood samples were taken from the village of Taskent and would continue in other areas where the relatives of the missing persons were residing.