Greek FM sees ‘window of opportunity’ for Cyprus solution

There is a window of opportunity for the Cyprus problem to move towards a solution, especially now that it is receiving international attention, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said on Monday.

He added that only good could come from the improved Greco-Turkish relations.

In an interview with ERT, Gerapetritis said that the Cyprus problem has been an international priority over the past year.

During any discussions between leaders, “the Greek side has never made any concessions,” Gerapetritis stressed.

The Greek foreign minister added that the positions of Greece are not only Greek, but also European and in line with international law.

“The Cyprus problem is a high priority for Greek foreign policy, it has been and will remain so.”

Gerapetritis said that “a year ago we were at a point of relative immobility, inactivity, where the Cyprus problem was not being discussed at international fora.”

Since then, he added, a series of events have brought the Cyprus problem to the forefront of international attention, especially at the UN and the EU.

The Greek minister said the first step could be no other than the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus returning to the negotiating table.

He said the Turkish side was maintaining a more extreme line, with a view to divide the island.

This, he said, was outside the UN framework and could not be accepted.

He assured Greece stands ready to offer its good services and that keeping things moving would help towards reaching a settlement.

Gerapetritis also referred to an improvement in Greco-Turkish relations, from which he said only good could come.

“We can discuss without necessarily agreeing. We have accepted that there are substantive differences. There is a window of opportunity to discuss,” he added.