Syria to launch direct ferry tours to Turkish Cyprus

Efforts and calls by the Organiza-tion of the Islamic Conference (OIC) for easing of international isolation of the Turkish Cypriots have yielded a significant result as Syria and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) prepare to launch direct ferry tours on schedule between the two countries.

A group of Syrian businessmen paid a visit to Turkish Cyprus in March to discuss ways to establish business cooperation. Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Turgay Avcı announced on Friday that the tours would start on the first day of the upcoming holiday, Ramadan Bayramı, which is Oct. 12. A ferryboat will set sail from the Gazimağusa (Famagusta) Port in northern Cyprus to the Port of Lattakia of Syria for a daily promotional tour.

Following intense meetings between the Turkish Cypriot and Syrian officials and chambers of maritime, commerce, industry and tourism of the two countries as well as mutual official visits, efforts for lifting the "unfair" isolation implemented on the KKTC by the Greek Cypriot administration of southern Cyprus have yielded a "good and positive consequence," Avcı told reporters yesterday at a press conference held in Lefkoşa (Nicosia).

"Regular relations established by the secretariat of the OIC have had a positive impact on our relations with the OIC member states. Relations have begun with a lot of the countries which previously avoided the KKTC," Avcı said.

Last month, Avcı paid a visit to Syria as part of a series of visits being paid to members of the OIC, which has long been urging Muslim countries to keep their earlier promises to ease the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. Earlier this year Avcı paid visits to Pakistan and Kuwait.

In April, during an official visit to Ankara, Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah said the KKTC could open a trade office in his country. Kuwait's move followed earlier steps taken by three other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

"With these tours being started after an almost 30-year-long interruption, there will be great developments in our relations with Syria in every field, particularly in economics, culture and tourism. Existing relations between businesspeople, the private sectors and non-governmental organizations of the two countries will be greatly accelerated," Avcı said, noting that the travel agencies involved with the boats would announce in the coming days how many tours would be launched weekly.

The close relationship between the two countries, especially in fields of commerce and tourism, will spark greater interest from Syrian students in studying at universities in the KKTC, the prime minister stressed.

"This concrete development maintained with Syria encourages us with further initiatives that we will take in the coming days concerning other regional countries," Avcı said.

Earlier this week, Turkish President Abdullah Gül, during a visit to the KKTC, urged the international community to keep its promises to ease the international isolation of the Turkish Cypriots as a reward for their will for reunification, which was displayed clearly in simultaneous referenda held in April 2004.