Govt ready for tripartite talks, hopes Turkish side to shift stance

UN efforts are focusing on facilitating a joint meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in the presence of UN chief Antonio Guterres, with the Greek Cypriot side declaring it was ready and hoping the Turkish Cypriot side would shift its stance and finally agree to a tripartite meeting.

On Friday, Christodoulides briefed the national council, with the political parties reiterating their support to these efforts to resume negotiations within the agreed-on framework, from the point the left off at Crans-Montana in 2017.

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the national council exchanged views on Christodoulides’ trip to UN headquarters in New York and his meeting with Guterres scheduled for September 23.

“We hope that with the meeting to be held between the president and the UNSG there will be developments,” he added.

“At a time when the international community acknowledges the constructive stance of the Republic of Cyprus, we are going to the UNHQ with the aim of achieving more movement and with the hope that it will have a positive impact on the UNSG’s fresh effort for a joint meeting, an effort we support and welcome and even assist through the initiatives we are undertaking,” Lebymbiotis said.

He added that the Greek Cypriot side’s banner was international law.

“The UNSG is focusing his efforts – and we must underline and promote this – on holding a joint meeting between the president of the republic and Mr Tatar in the presence of the UNSG,” Letymbiotis said.

Nicosia’s answer to an invitation to a meeting, he said, was positive in advance.

“We believe this joint meeting must be held the soonest possible,” he added.

Disy president Annita Demetriou said her party would continue to support all actions contributing to the resumption of negotiations within the agreed-on framework and the parameters set out by the UN.

Demetriou said assessments may not indicate that there would be positive developments in the immediate future, however Christodoulides should utilise all means at his disposal to increase Cyprus’ trustworthiness and convince the international community that Nicosia would do everything in could for the resumption of talks from the point the broke off at Crans-Montana.

The only definite thing was that the situation was crucial, maybe more than ever, Demetriou added.

Speaking after the meeting, Akel general secretary Stefanos Stefanou said this was a period of intense efforts on behalf of the UN and the international community to break the deadlock in the Cyprus problem and resume negotiations for a settlement.

Akel’s position, he added, was to find a way out and resume negotiations at the point where they left off at Crans-Montana.

To do this, he said, Cyprus had to undertaken substantive initiatives and clearly state its positions, which should be no other than a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

Diko MP Christiana Erotokritou said negotiations should resume on the basis of steadfast principles, namely UN resolutions, Security Council decisions and Cyprus’ EU capacity.

She added that Christodoulides had managed to draw the Cyprus problem out of stagnation and expressed hope that Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side would match the positive stance of the south and negotiations would resume for a comprehensive settlement.

Elam MP Sotiris Ioannou said the Cyprus problem should be seen as one of invasion and occupation and not differences between communities. Edek president Marinos Sizopoulos said placing the Cyprus problem on the basis of invasion, occupation and illegal settlement, as well as convening an international conference to discuss the problem’s international dimension, should be prioritised.

He also said efforts should focus on EU-Turkish relations and not Turkey’s accession to the EU.

Dipa president Marios Karoyian said it was necessary to keep pressure on the Turkish side to return to the negotiating table, adding that his party supported the president’s efforts.

Green Party deputy president Kyriakos Tsimillis said there had been references to progress, however he wondered if it was progress when talks started while the island was still under military occupation, demographic alteration, Turkish settlement and the usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties.