Turkey marks key Cyprus date with trade sanctions appeal

Turkey appealed to the European Union on Tuesday to remove all remaining restrictions on Turkish Cypriots as they celebrated the 30th anniversary of a Turkish invasion which cemented Cyprus's division.
Turkish troops landed in northern Cyprus on July 20, 1974, to protect their ethnic kin after a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece, then under military rule.
Turkish Cypriots have spent most of the following three decades in a statelet recognised only by Ankara and targeted by economic sanctions. But their "yes" vote in an April referendum on reuniting Cyprus has led to an easing of their isolation.
"There is a new situation in Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots have made clear with their "yes" vote they are ready to rejoin the world," said Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer in a message read at celebrations in the divided Cypriot capital Nicosia.
"The unjust isolation under which they have lived for years must come to an end," Sezer said.
Turkish Cypriots voted overwhelmingly in favour of a UN plan to reunite Cyprus in a loose federation in the April 24 referendum, but the much richer Greek Cypriots in the south of the island rejected the blueprint by a wide margin.
As a result, Cyprus joined the EU on May 1 as a divided island represented only by the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government. But to reward the Turkish Cypriots' "yes", the EU has unveiled an aid package for them and has lifted restrictions on their free trade with the bloc.
Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots want the EU to go further, for example by allowing direct flights to northern Cyprus, where increased tourism could help develop its economy, and allowing the enclave to take part in all international sports events.
"The European Union and the world should not forget the promises they have made to the Turkish Cypriots," Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said.
Gul, who attended the annual military parade in Nicosia to mark the Turkish intervention, said Turkish Cypriot authorities should also introduce reforms to encourage foreign investment.