Turkish President calls for settlement of anachronic political conflicts

PanARMENIAN.Net - "The settlement of anachronic political conflicts in the European geography and in its periphery is a must for the future security, stability and welfare of Europe," Turkish President Abdullah Gul said in his address to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.



"Cyprus remains the oldest unresolved conflict in Europe. The overall settlement of this conflict could have been achieved during the simultaneous referenda which were held on the island on 24 April 2004 on the UN settlement plan. However, that chance was missed due to the rejection of the plan by the Greek Cypriot side," he said.



"Had this opportunity been seized then Cyprus now could have been a reunified island and represented as such in this Assembly. Isolations imposed on the Turkish Cypriots would have been lifted. The Turkish and Greek Cypriot property issues would have been resolved. The military presence of Greece and Turkey would have reached an agreed solution. A negotiated settlement in Cyprus would have transformed the eastern Mediterranean into a hub of regional cooperation between Turkey, Greece and island of Cyprus. Nevertheless, Turkey remains fully committed to a political settlement: A settlement which will ensure the reunification of the island under the auspices of the good-offices mission of the UN Secretary-General, based on the long established UN parameters. I recognize the presence of two elected representatives of the Turkish Cypriot people among you. I seize this opportunity to thank the Parliamentary Assembly for taking this modest but meaningful step in helping to ease the political isolation of the Turkish Cypriots," Gul said.