Non-governmental and civil society organizations that took part in the Cultural and Promotional Days of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) event in Azerbaijan last week have described their visit as a “groundbreaking” initiative and a great success.

The organisations which issued a joint statement on Monday, stressed that the visit was a significant step towards the integration of the Turkish Cypriot business community with the rest of the world.

The joint statement said that the TRNC delegation was welcomed at the highest level by Azerbaijani authorities and that the representatives of the various sectors in the TRNC found the opportunity to introduce Turkish Cypriot culture to the people of Azerbaijan as well as establish new business ties.

The statement said that a number of the meetings that took place resulted in business agreements.

“The meeting held between President Ersin Tatar and his Azerbaijani counterpart İlhan Aliyev, the attention and interest shown to the TRNC delegation is a clear indication of the brotherhood ties based on history, and even beyond that, a sign of love and respect,” the NGOs said.

“We believe that all official and business meetings will play a significant role in strengthening the historical ties between the two countries and in the development of commercial relationships,” the statement added.

Describing the visit as groundbreaking, the NGOs expressed the view that the contacts created were a significant step in the integration of the Turkish Cypriot business community with the rest of the world.