‘Cyprus ready to negotiate with Turkey over energy’
The Greek Cypriot side is ready to sit at the negotiation table and solve the Cyprus problem, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday.
In statements on the sidelines of an event organised by Diko for the 20th anniversary of Cyprus’ accession to the EU, Christodoulides said that he and the UNSG’s Personal Envoy, Maria Angela Holguin, have been in contact all these days, noting that on Monday they will meet again.
He expressed the hope for a positive outcome after the meeting.
“What I can say with certainty is that from our side we will continue to take advantage of any opportunity there is, to resume talks. There is no other option for us.”
Referring to his meeting with Holguin last week, Christodoulides said that on the same day he informed the Greek Prime Minister, with whom he will speak again later on Sunday, since he considers Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ trip to Ankara very important.
Christodoulides said this was significant not only for Greek-Turkish issues, but also for the efforts being made for the Cyprus problem.
He expressed hope that something positive will emerge from the meeting between the Greek Prime Minister and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, especially in the ongoing effort to resume talks.
Asked to comment on an Erdogan gave published in the Greek newspaper “Kathimerini”, in which he says that energy is not an area of conflict, but a field of cooperation, Christodoulides clarified Cyprus cooperates with all states in the region and within this framework is ready to cooperate with Turkey as well, after the solution of the Cyprus problem.
He added that “even before a possible solution to the Cyprus problem, we had conveyed our readiness to delineate our maritime boundaries always on the basis of the relevant Convention of the Law of the Sea,” adding that “it is Turkey that refuses dialogue. ”
“I repeat. The key issue is to resume talks. I said something the day before yesterday, I will repeat it. I also conveyed it to Holguin. I cannot see why anyone would not even want to discuss. When he doesn’t want to talk, it means he feels powerless about his own positions.”
He expressed the readiness of the Greek Cypriot side to discuss and sit at the negotiating table, underlining that “there is no other option“.
He also said that “the current state of affairs is not in the interest of either Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Turkey, the EU, or the region,” adding that “we are ready to discuss and hopefully there will be a response”.