Political leaders, who have been briefed on the situation, are supporting the continuation of efforts to resume negotiations on the Cyprus issue, while awaiting Olgin’s visit in October, are supported by political leaders, who were briefed on developments following the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“The Democratic Rally’s responsibility is clear, and our highest duty is to make the most of every opportunity regarding the Cyprus issue,” states DISY President Annita Dimitriou.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“The reality is, following the briefing we received, that we have not achieved the outcome we would have liked following the United Nations General Assembly. Nevertheless, we must remain focused on the substance, aiming for real progress free from any political expediency.”
“We have ahead of us Ms. Olgin’s visit in October, Mr. Fito’s upcoming meeting with the European Union regarding the parallel discussion on Euro-Turkish relations—which is an important step and should be capitalized on through parallel diplomatic efforts,” he continued.
“It is the paramount duty of all of us to speak less, work more, and seize every opportunity that can bring us closer to our desired goal. I assure you that the Democratic Alarm is fully committed to this responsibility.”
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Referring to the past and the efforts made up until the conference in Crans-Montana, the statement by AKEL General Secretary Stefanos Stefanou.
“Unfortunately, we have not had any negotiations since then, and the goal is to find a way to resume these negotiations from where they were interrupted, while safeguarding the negotiating achievements and the common ground reached through many years of painstaking work.”
“The goal, therefore, at this juncture must be to safeguard the common ground that has been achieved,” emphasizes Mr. Stefanou, noting that Olgin is expected to arrive in October.
“Our side must strive to maintain control of the process by taking specific initiatives, because we must not allow the process to fizzle out. Even if the UN Secretary-General fails to achieve his goal of convening an expanded meeting, he should at least leave as a legacy for the next Secretary-General the meetings that have taken place and the negotiating groundwork that has been laid. This should also be our concern as we pursue our policy.”
When asked whether, based on the briefing he received, he perceived that we were at an impasse, he replied:
“At this moment, the United Nations Secretariat is making an effort to organize an expanded meeting that could announce the resumption of negotiations. That is the goal. We must remain focused on that. Of course, the situation is not good. Of course, the mood is pessimistic, given that there have been no developments—not even an agreement on confidence-building measures—but we do not have the right, nor is it in the interest of a prospective solution to the Cyprus problem—which must be our top priority—to let things reach an impasse, much less for the Secretary-General himself to abandon the effort.”
“Let’s Change Course”
ELAM President Christos Christou noted that, once again, “despite the good intentions of the Republic of Cyprus and the submission of various proposals by the President, Turkish intransigence does not allow us, at this stage, to be optimistic regarding possible developments.”
“I repeat once again that the position of the National Popular Front is that we do not agree with a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation as the basis for a solution, and we believe that the National Council as a whole must decideon a new course, on a new strategy, which will lead us to a new basis for resolving the Cyprus problem, one that will do justice to the Greek Cypriot people and guarantee a long and prosperous future for us and for future generations.”
“We Continue”
DIKO President Nikolas Papadopoulos states that efforts are continuing and the goal remains to convene an international conference that will announce the resumption of negotiations based on United Nations resolutions.
“However, none of us underestimates the difficulties that lie ahead, and the greatest difficulty has a name: Turkey, which continues to insist on changing the basis of the negotiations to a two-state solution—something our side will not accept under any circumstances.”
He points out that this does not mean we should abandon our efforts, but rather that we must continue them, together with the support and cooperation of the European Union. “We must recognize that the only path before us is to apply pressure on Turkey through EU-Turkey relations to achieve the desired goals, which are the resumption of the negotiations,” he adds.
“Tragic situation”
The situation is “tragic” according to ALMA President Odysseas Michaelides, who agrees that the Greek Cypriot side should exhaust every possibility of breaking the deadlock, but believes that Turkey will achieve its goal and that the Secretary-General, upon his departure, will hand his successor an empty folder.
“For us, the situation is tragic. Yes, we agree that the Republic of Cyprus and the President must exhaust every possibility of breaking the deadlock in the few days that remain, while the window known as Guterres remains open”.
However, as he said, “Our assessment is that Turkey will achieve its goal, and the Secretary-General, upon his departure, will hand over to his successor an empty envelope, a blank sheet of paper.” “This is tragic for our country,” he said, adding that alongside efforts to salvage the process—which, in his assessment, will not succeed— “we must begin drafting our plan for the day after.”
The ALMA President noted that this plan “should not be based on maintaining the illusion of mobility that does not exist,” but rather on highlighting, as he put it, Turkey’s stance. “For us, Turkey’s absolutely unwavering stance must now be highlighted in a clear manner,” he said.
Regarding the roadblocks, and specifically the roadblock at Mia Milia, Mr. Michaïlidis said that he had recommended that the President of the Republic handle the issue in a way that would dispel the argument—held by Turkey and international public opinion—that the Turkish side is positive and the Greek Cypriot side is negative. “This is simply not true. Turkey is the biggest, primary, and sole culprit for the lack of progress,” he argued.
As he noted, it could have been publicly announced that, should negotiations begin on the basis of an agreed framework, steps could be taken regarding that specific roadblock, “even if we couldn’t get the concessions we wanted.” “What I’m saying is that our assessment is that the international community has not been convinced —and many are looking for a reason not to be convinced—that Turkey is the main culprit for the lack of progress,” he said.
According to Mr. Michaelides, the issue concerns “purely how we handled the matter—not the substance of it—but ensuring that Turkey actually takes responsibility.” Regarding the substance of the process, he reiterated that ALMA’s position is that Turkey should abandon its stance on a two-state solution and accept the start of negotiations based on the agreed framework.
“In essence, on the basis of the agreed framework—which was our sole and correct demand— Turkey must abandon the two-state position and agree to begin negotiations on the basis of the agreed framework,” he said.
Finally, Mr. Michaelides expressed the view that the UN Secretary-General will complete his term without the exploratory conference having taken place, which he described as the key element that could provide momentum and signal the restart of the process.
“The Secretary-General will complete his term, and there will have been no progress in the sense of the exploratory conference, which is the key element and which could provide a boost and launch a process, so that the new Secretary-General would find a process already underway,” he said.
He also expressed the view that the next Secretary-General will be particularly reluctant to get involved in the Cyprus issue, since his predecessor “had the unique combination of being thoroughly knowledgeable about the Cyprus issue, being European, and having very good relations with EU leaders”—and yet failed to make any progress.
“We consider this tragic, in the sense that it will be much more difficult from January onward to convince the international community to engage with the Cyprus issue again. This only serves Turkey’s interests,” he concluded.
Criticism from Pheidias
Fidias Panayiotou, President of Direct Democracy, criticized the President of the Republic for the lack of results on the Cyprus issue, noting at the same time that “our policies don’t seem to be working.”
“Today I’m going to be a little harsh on the President of the Republic regarding the Cyprus issue,” said Mr. Panagiotou, adding that “it has been 111 months since Crans-Montana—the last round of talks—and we have seen no substantial progress on the Cyprus issue that would allow talks to resume, and that speaks volumes.” He referred to foreign policy, saying that “despite everything we say about foreign policy—that we are so successful in foreign policy—we have failed to achieve any substantial progress on the Cyprus issue.”
Therefore, the President of Direct Democracy noted, “perhaps foreign policy sounds successful but, in reality, is not yielding the results we would like to see regarding the Cyprus issue.” Mr. Panayiotou said that during the National Council meeting, he raised the issue of the geostrategic risks in the region. “Iran is growing stronger in the wake of recent developments. There is instability in the region. Israel and Turkey could potentially become embroiled in a conflict in the future, and we must be very cautious,” he said. He also added that he briefly discussed the risks associated with the GSI.
“We are not very pleased with the developments,” he noted. He also mentioned that he wonders whether President Christodoulides, having previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, has had any impact on the Cyprus issue. Because, he explained, “he has been in a position of power for nearly 10 years, during which time he could have achieved tangible results,” adding that “the career path he followed has yielded no substantial results.”
Regarding the suggestions he made, he said he believes that “these discussions should remain within the National Council.” “These are some of the things we discussed internally that I want to keep internal,” he said, noting that this is a promise he has made publicly. Responding to a question, he acknowledged that “there is also the Turkey factor,” adding, however, that “it seems he may be the only president who failed to bring the Cyprus issue to the negotiating table.” “Our policies aren’t working, as it seems,” he concluded.
