TALAT: “IF TURKISH PORTS ARE OPENED TO GREEK CYPRIOT VESSELS THE EMBARGOES WILL HEAVILY INCREASE...”

Upon the invitation of Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, a delegation of journalists came to the TRNC from Brussels and met with President Mehmet Ali Talat and Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer. 

During the meeting President Mehmet Ali Talat stated that in the event of the opening of Turkish ports to the Greek Cypriot vessels without simultaneous opening of all, the isolations and embargoes imposed upon the Turkish Cypriots would heavily increase and the economy would collapse. “I don’t even want to think about this scenario”, the President said. 

Continuing Talat said: “Indeed, Turkey doesn’t implement this scenario”. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul in his recent statement once more stressed that the ports would not open unilaterally”. 

Pointing out that the lifting of the isolations and embargoes would lead to a settlement, President Mehmet Ali Talat said, the ground to settle the Cyprus issue was the UN, but not the EU. 

For his part, Prime Minister Soyer stating that the Greek Cypriots were making policies on behalf of the whole of Cyprus in the EU, reminded that the Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister said “if Turkish ports were not opened to Greek Cypriots, they would veto Turkey-EU negotiations process” and added that someone in the EU should say “stop” to Greek Cypriots policies.