TRNC TOURISM OFFICE TO BE OPENED IN SOUTH KOREA

A TRNC tourism office is to be opened in the South Korean Capital Soeul, the TRNC Ministry of Economy and Tourism has announced.

A protocol was signed yesterday at the Ministry of Economy and Tourism between Erdogan Sanlýdag the TRNC Economy and Tourism Minister and Lee Chung Hoon the Representative of the Tourism Office and the President of the Parados Europe Company operating in South Korea.

According to the protocol, the Parados Europe Company will be in charge of running the tourism office, which aims to promote the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus through booklets, maps or CDs which would be sent by the TRNC Tourism and Economy Ministry. Mr. Lee will also participate to local tourism fairs and promotion activities.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Minister of Economy and Tourism Erdogan Sanlidag said that the tourism office to be opened in the South Korean capital will work towards promoting the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

For his part, the President of the Parados Europe company Lee Chung Hooh said that the protocol was the first step in establishing close relations between the two countries and for attracting South Korean tourists to North Cyprus.

 

INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP’S CYPRUS REPORT:
“SIDES SHOULD SPEND EXTENSIVE EFFORT IN 2008, FOR SOLVING THE CYPRUS ISSUE”

Brussels-based International Crisis Group stated, in its report entittled “Cyprus: Reversing the Drift to Partition”, that Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders should jointly express their will to re-engage in UN-mediated talks on a comprehensive settlement following the “presidential” elections in Greek Cypriot side.

The report said: “One more major effort, strongly encouraged by the UN and European Union (EU), should be made in 2008 to resolve the long-running dispute between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots on Cyprus and achieve a comprehensive settlement to reunify the island. All sides have much to gain from such a settlement. For the Greek Cypriots, it would end lingering insecurity, give them access to the Turkish economy, the most dynamic in the region, and increase their service industry’s value as an eastern Mediterranean hub. For Turkish Cypriots, it will mean being able to enjoy the benefits of EU citizenship of which they are presently largely deprived.

For the EU, the unresolved Cyprus problem now hampers its functioning on issues as diverse as cooperation with NATO in Afghanistan and Chinese shoe imports. And for Turkey a settlement would overcome a major obstacle to its convergence with the EU.

If such an effort fails, the alternative is likely to be partition. If no settlement is found, the process referred to locally as “Taiwanisation” will inevitably speed up, consolidating partition. All sides need to focus much more sharply than they have to date on the downsides of this.”