Prime Minister Ünal Üstel on Sunday welcomed the admittance of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (KTTO) as an observer member to the Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry which operates under the Organisation of the Turkic States (OTS).

Üstel said that the observer membership was extremely important in enhancing economic relations and cooperation with OTS countries.

“The time has come for us to embrace the world,” the prime minister said.

In a written statement issued on Sunday, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel welcomed the decision taken by the General Assembly of the Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry to admit the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce as an observer member.

The first General Assembly Meeting of the Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) convened on April 7 at the premises of Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) in Istanbul.

Üstel said that the decision adopted at the meeting attended by representatives of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Hungary and Turkmenistan was extremely important in terms of enhancing economic and cooperation ties with member countries of the Organisation of Turkic States.

He said that the time had come for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to take the place it deserves within the international community as an independent and sovereign state.

“It is on this occasion that I would like to once again congratulate the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce and Mr Rıfat Hısarcıkoğlu who has been re-elected as the president of the Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI),” the prime minister concluded.