Turkish Cypriot illegal Bayrak television  reported that the Turkish President Abdullah Gul met British Prime Minister David Cameron within the framework of his official visit in the UK. Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that both sides in Cyprus needed to be encouraged for a settlement as the Republic of Cyprus prepares to take over the EU term presidency at a critical moment in Europe.

Speaking at joint press conference with the British Prime Minister Cameron after the meeting, Turkish President said that the ongoing Cyprus negotiations process had been discussed at the meeting. He said that both Turkey and Britain as guarantor powers in Cyprus, supported the negotiations process held under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. “I made specific emphasis that if the European Union fails to act with a strong political will, the reunification of the island might become impossible due to the Greek Cypriot side’s unwillingness for a solution,” Gul alleged.

Also according to the official website of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey (23.11.11), Turkish President Gul addressed members of the House of Commons. Evincing his pleasure to be “among true friends of Turkey”, Gul proclaimed Turkey and the United Kingdom to be two countries acting as lynchpins for Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian regions and he also commented on the Arab Spring: “We hope that the people’s genuine aspirations for a life in dignity, will be realized.

The Turkish President addressed the deputies of the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats as well as the Friends of Turkey Group members from the three parties.

Gul, also mentioning the Cyprus problem and the Cyprus presidency of the EU in 2012, claimed that the EU Presidency of such a “half government” in the second half of 2012 certainly demonstrates a weakness on the part of the EU, underscoring: “This is something that must be questioned by the European Union itself. More importantly, since the European Union considers all this to be normal at a time when negotiations are under way, this provides conducive ground for the Greek Cypriot Administration [Editor’s note: The Republic of Cyprus] not to feel any obligation to work for a solution. Obviously, this puts the European Union in a position where it ends up strongly encouraging the absence of a settlement. […] Under these circumstances, the European Union will be the cause of the beginning of a process that will render unification of the island totally impossible.”