The Turkish Cypriot president made his statement following reports that Greek Cyprus is planning to by medium range s-300 missiles from Russia after an agreement which is to be signed by the two sides within two months at the latest. Greek Cypriot press reports also indicated that T-80 tanks brought from Russia will be delivered to the Greek Cypriot National Guard in six months time. General Boutros Boutros-Ghali warned in a report last year that there is a dangerous escalation in the number of arms on the island. The Turkish side says that its efforts are commensurate with Greek Cypriot efforts and are aimed at restoring the balance disrupted by the armament efforts of the Greek Cypriots. The Greek Cypriot council of ministers decided on Friday to speed up the armaments program announced under the Joint Defense Doctrine between Greek Cyprus and Greece.
Local administrations play an important role in the progress of democracy.
Declaring that the conference, to be held between June 3 and 14 in Istanbul, would be a great opportunity both for Turkey and the ancient city, Ozdemir warned central and local organizations to work in coordination. With recent developments the model of sustainable development has to be reevaluated.