TRNC leader to travel to Washington
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Talat Ali has accepted an invitation by Washington and is set to travel to the US on October 28. Talat hailed the invitation as a positive step forward in his mission of getting the voices of Turkish Cypriots heard. Greek Cypriot leader Papadopoulos on the other hand was displeased with the invitation saying that it would anger Greek Cypriots and "breed secessionist tendencies".
Douglas Silliman, deputy director at the Office of Southeastern European Affairs at the U.S. State Department, delivered the invitation to Talat personally. Silliman said the invitation was part of U.S. efforts to help find a settlement in Cyprus.
Speaking after the meeting Talat said, "This is a very important development to make the voice of Turkish Cypriots heard. It is very important to understand the big transformation that Turkish Cypriots have gone through."
The Turkish Cypriot leader hopes the visit will lead to concrete steps on the part of the United States to help end the three-decade isolation of Turkish Cypriots. "Turkish Cypriot people voted positively in the April 24, 2004 referendum. Therefore, their isolation should end," Talat said.