CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

Italy distances itslelf from representative of illegal regime

The Italian government has assured Cyprus that it has nothing to do with a visit to Rome by the foreign minister of the Turkish Cypriot regime, Permanent Secretary of the Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexandros Zenon said here today. He also said that Nicosia has made representations to Rome about the visit of Turgay Avci to Rome where he is said to have handed passports of the Turkish Cypriot regime to two Italian politicians. “The Italian foreign ministry has made it clear that a meeting Avci had with the Italian Minister for European Policy and International Trade had nothing to do with her capacity as government minister,” Zenon told the press today, adding that the meeting was an encounter between the leaders of two political parties. The Italian minister met Avci in her personal and party capacity, not as a representative of the Italian government, he explained, pointing out that all preparatory contact was made through party channels. Zenon also said that the Italian government had turned down a request from Avci for a meeting with the minister responsible for tertiary education and that contrary to press reports Avci did not address the Union of foreign correspondents in Rome. Responding to questions, Zenon said similar visits and meetings between Turkish Cypriots and foreign personalities have taken place in the past and none of them had any shred of evidence of recognition of the Turkish Cypriot regime. Today, he went on to add, Avci will speak at a room at the premises of the Italian Parliament, something which is normal practice for Italian political parties to organize when inviting foreign party officials. “All such gatherings are purely party encounters and there has never been any issue of convening such meetings at official buildings,” he explained. On the issuing of passports of the regime, Zenon pointed out that such documents in fact have no validity as they are not recognized.