KARABUK (AA) - April 3, 2013 - Foreign Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Huseyin Ozgurgun on Wednesday said that the economic crisis in southern Cyprus deepened enmity against the Turks.
Speaking at a conference on the Cyprus issue at Turkey's Karabuk University (KU) on Wednesday, Ozgurgun underlined that a group of Greek Cypriots recently burned a Turkish flag due to the economic crisis and the Greek Cypriots showed their enmity towards the Turks at every opportunity.
"If the Greek Cypriots have an economic crisis, how could the Turkish flag be held responsible? We reacted fiercely against the flag incident in southern Cyprus. I do not think that there could be any other place (on earth) where the Turkish flag gets burned. Turkey has an excellent foreign policy. Turkey extends strong support to the TRNC. The Turkish flag was burned in the Greek Cypriot administration a week ago after the Greek Cypriots blamed the Turks for their economic crisis. Also recently, Greek Cypriots have been attacking historic artefacts of Muslim Turks. Mosques are getting burned and Turkish pieces of architecture are getting destroyed. The only reason for such acts has to do with the economy. Hopefully, the Greek Cypriots would realize they are doing the wrong thing and give up their attacks on Turks," Ozgurgun underlined.
On the 12th parcel in the Mediterranean Sea, Minister Ozgurgun stressed that they thought they had a right to make a claim on the oil and natural gas reserves along with the Greek Cypriots.
The 12th parcel is a region close to Egypt.
"The Greek Cypriot administration could get better if Turkey extended support to them," Ozgurgun also said.
