WORLD AFFAIRS
In Lefkosa: Ihsanoglu reiterates OIC support to TRNC Addresses the Higher Education Forum in Girne
The Secretary General with TRNC President Eroglu
Lefkoşa, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu paid an official visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on 27- 29 November 2011. In the beginning of his visit, Secretary General Ihsanoglu was received by H.E. President Dervis Eroglu. On the second day of the visit, he held talks with Dr. Hasan Bozer, Speaker of the Parliament and with Dr. Irsen Kucuk, Prime Minister, and had bilateral meetings with Huseyin Ozgurgun, the Foreign Minister, and Kemal Durust, the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports. The Secretary General also paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Rauf Denktas, former President of TRNC, as well as to H.E. Talip Atalay, Head of Religious Affairs of TRNC. Ihsanoglu reiterated the enduring support of the OIC to the Turkish Cypriots in political, economic, social and cultural fields. The Secretary General recalled that TRNC is an observer
member of the OIC under the title of the Turkish Cypriot State. He invited the President and the Foreign Minister of the TRNC to visit the OIC at a convenient time in the near future. During his visit, the Secretary General addressed the Forum and Exhibition on Higher Education Services in OIC Member States held in Girne on 28 November 2011. The Secretary General stated that the share of R&D in the GDP of OIC Member States doubled to reach 0.41% in 2010 compared to 0.2% in 2005. He added that the number of scientific publications in international journals by scientists and engineers of OIC Member States increased from 18,391 in 2000 to 63,342 publications in the previous year. He emphasized that the number of researchers, scientists and engineers engaged in R&D in the OIC Member States has risen from 250 per million in 2003 to 649 per million. However, Ihsanoglu is still aware of the enormity of the task ahead of the Muslim world as higher education and S&T indicators of the OIC Member States still lagging far behind those of developed Western countries. The Secretary General invited the experts and scientists attending the Forum to explore ways and means to strengthen cooperation among public and private higher education institutions in the OIC Member States. He stressed that the Forum could also be utilized to discuss and identify avenues for developing cooperation, networking and partnership between universities and other educational institutions to improve the quality of higher education in the Muslim world. Ihsanoglu highlighted the exhibition organized in parallel to the Forum, and stated that it presents a wide range of facilities and services being offered by the universities in the TRNC.
Hüseyin Özgürgün, Foreign Minister of TRNC:
2012 is the last opportunity for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem
The blockade makes the OIC our only outlet to the world Nicosia (Lefkoşa) – Ayman Abboushi Hüseyin Özgürgün, Foreign Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), was rather reserved regarding the possibility of reaching a comprehensive settlement at the negotiations that the United Nations (UN) intends to resume January 2012 between the two parts of Cyprus. He considered 2012 the last opportunity to reach a final solution of the Cyprus problem. In an interview with the OIC Journal, he indicated that the chairmanship of the Greek Cyprus of the European Union (EU) in July 2012 and the likely rising of extremist parties to power instead of President Demetres Christofias, the current President of Greek Cyprus, would complicate the chance of reaching a settlement and render it rather impossible. On the other hand, Özgürgün indicated that there are seven representative offices of TRNC in the OIC Member States: Turkey, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Kyrgyz Republic. He also expressed the desire of TRNC, 22
the OIC Journal www.oic-oci.org Sept - Dec 2011
which has observer status at the OIC, to attract the investments of the OIC Member States being the only commercial outlet for TRNC. He also called for the need that these countries raise the blockade imposed on TRNC, particularly with respect to sports and social events. How do you assess the cooperation between TRNC and the OIC and what are the opportunities of mutual benefit? After the 2004 referendum in TRNC, the OIC decided to grant Turkish Cyprus the status of observer under the name of TRNC. Since then cooperation commenced with the OIC and its various organs and institutions in various fields, such as agriculture, education, and health and we seek to consolidate this cooperation. TRNC has representative offices in five OIC-GCC Member States. Do you think that such relations with rich countries are a portal for more investments in TRNC? The economic cooperation with these countries is still not