Regarding developments in the Cyprus issue, the President’s meeting with the Morphou Municipal Council, the President of the Republic’s meeting with young people in the form of a Cabinet meeting, as well as other current issues, Government Spokesperson Mr. Konstantinos Letympiotis addressed these issues in remarks he made to reporters today.
In his remarks at the Presidential Palace, the Spokesperson said that “the meeting between the President of the Republic and the Mayor and Municipal Council of Morphou, as well as the delegation from Greece, the United Kingdom, and several European countries, representing both national parliaments and local governments, who participated in and supported the 46th anti-occupation march and the event organized by the Municipality of Morphou.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The President of the Republic provided a detailed briefing on the latest developments in the Cyprus issue, ahead of his meeting tomorrow with the Turkish Cypriot leader, regarding the efforts we are making to support and strengthen the United Nations Secretary-General’s initiative to lead to an expanded conference in the very near future.
Furthermore, he expressed his appreciation to all those who support our struggles for justice, our struggles for the liberation of our homeland, and, of course, those who actively support the struggle of the Morphou Municipality by participating in the anti-occupation event. It was noteworthy that several people mentioned the initiative they have undertaken—a symbolic, but a very significant one, to rename several municipalities in their countries, their towns, and their localities after the Morphou Municipality, precisely to keep this message alive throughout Europe. After all, the Cyprus issue is not just a national issue; it is also a European one. It is, first and foremost, a European issue that concerns all of our European partners.”
When asked whether the Republic of Cyprus had officially received the invitation to participate in the United Nations International Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Turkey, the Spokesperson said that “the Republic of Cyprus has received an invitation, following diplomatic efforts, always in coordination with our European partners, to COP31—the Climate Conference hosted by Turkey. It is well known that there was a recent attempt to prevent the Republic of Cyprus from being invited to an international conference. The Republic of Cyprus is a member state of the United Nations and a full member state of the European Union. Therefore, we must emphasize the position of the European Union and that of our European partners, both the member states and the European institutions.”
When asked who would represent the Republic of Cyprus at this Conference, the Spokesperson said that “as is the case in all instances—the invitation is, of course, addressed to the President of the Republic—I remind you that the President of the Republic also attended the previous COP last year in Azerbaijan—decisions will be made, and it will be announced who will travel to Antalya. The invitation, I repeat, is addressed to President Christodoulides.”
When asked whether the issue of the convergence points has been finalized and whether the document has been provided to the parties, the Spokesperson said that “nothing has been provided. This is, after all, something we have stated, and President Christodoulides himself has pointed it out. The information we have is that the documentation of the points of convergence has been completed. Our position—which had been conveyed and was also the arrangement reached during the United Nations Secretary-General’s visit to our country— was that this list should be provided to all parties at this stage precisely so that comments could be made, a common understanding of the points of convergence could be reached, and we could move toward the resumption of negotiations. And this is the position that has been conveyed both to Ms. Olgin and, of course, to the UN Secretary-General. We are awaiting confirmation of the dates Ms. Olgin will be in our country; she herself has stated that she will arrive sometime in October. We believe that this significant development—the documentation of points of convergence—because it is indeed a significant development, has been our conviction and position from the very beginning, and can contribute to the effort to resume negotiations.”
In response to a journalist’s remark that Ms. Olgin had stated that the document outlining points of convergence would be provided to the parties once negotiations begin, the Spokesperson replied that “and that is precisely why I have said that we have conveyed to both Ms. Olgin and the UN Secretary-General that this was and remains our position and conviction; this was the initial arrangement, and this goes without saying, that in order to assist as much as possible the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General to lead to the resumption of negotiations, this record of common ground must be provided to the parties. Moreover, I would remind you that, at least in terms of rhetoric, the Turkish Cypriot leader also agrees on preserving the achievements of convergence, and this will be something that can help this effort.”
In response to a journalist’s observation that the Turkish Cypriot leader’s position is identical to that of Ms. Olgin—namely, that the convergence document should not be handed over before negotiations resume—the Spokesperson said that “I reiterate what our position was, what position was discussed during the visit of the United Nations Secretary-General, and what the approach was in reaching this decision; I also refer you to previous statements. And this is the position that has once again been clearly conveyed to the United Nations. This was something the President of the Republic also discussed with the United Nations Secretary-General in New York, given that our briefing—which outlined the areas of convergence that were to be achieved—has now been completed.
And this is something we have reiterated, and this is what we believe is most beneficial to the process. The other side, of course, does not share this view. This is something we will discuss with the United Nations. It is not out of the question that this will also be discussed with the Turkish Cypriot leader. Our approach is that the purpose and essence of these meetings is precisely to foster a constructive dialogue, a dialogue in which President Christodoulides and Mr. Erhurman will have the opportunity to exchange views, positions, and concerns, because when there is no progress—which is what we desire— the solution is not less dialogue; the solution is more dialogue, more initiatives, and we believe that this issue, too, is one that, yes, can be resolved and can contribute positively and constructively to the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General. I will say something that I have said many times—that we have said many times—namely, that the essential prerequisite is for all parties to demonstrate a genuine willingness to achieve substantial progress on the Cyprus issue. Tomorrow’s meeting is yet another important one. We believe that every meeting with the other side is important. Every meeting is an opportunity to make progress. There are the 19 proposals submitted by the President of the Republic during his last meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader, which he also presented to the United Nations Secretary-General, as well as to his personal envoy. We expect to have a substantive discussion with the Turkish Cypriot leader on these points. Of course, we look forward to hearing his own views on each of these points, as well as on the points that were discussed in previous expanded conferences with the United Nations Secretary-General, and we have now spoken very specifically and publicly about many of these points, our own positions, and our own approach. We believe that tomorrow, if there is sincere political will, substantial progress can be achieved, at least at the level of the two leaders, without ever overlooking the role played by Turkey.”
When asked what he meant by “substantial progress,” the Spokesperson said that “it can also be achieved at the crossing points.”
When asked about the negotiators’ meetings, the Spokesperson said that “we do not expect an agreement to be reached at the negotiators’ meetings. We expect progress to be made at the leadership level on the proposals submitted by the United Nations. Beyond that, there are—I repeat— the 19 proposals by the President of the Republic, which address all three pillars set forth by the United Nations Secretary-General—Confidence-Building Measures and Methodology— as well as the essence of the Cyprus issue. And if what we truly want is to make the most of every minute remaining until the end of the current United Nations Secretary-General’s term, we must engage in in-depth, concrete discussions on these proposals to determine exactly where agreement can be reached so that we can see progress.”
When asked whether there were any indications from the Turkish Cypriot side that Mr. Erhurman would respond tomorrow to the President of the Republic’s 19-point proposal, the Spokesperson said, “I will not speak on behalf of Mr. Erhurman, nor can I know what his intentions are. It is positive that this meeting will take place, and at the last meeting, when these 19 proposals were presented to Mr. Erhurman, he reserved judgment until after reviewing them, and I think that is entirely legitimate and reasonable. We want to have a substantive discussion tomorrow on these 19 proposals, which we believe can serve as a springboard to break the deadlock and make progress. And it is precisely for this reason that we believed—and still believe—that this meeting, in the presence of the United Nations Secretary-General in New York, would be very beneficial—precisely because Mr. Guterres would be there and this discussion, this exchange of views, would take place under his auspices.”
When asked what our side would like to see happen tomorrow that would be considered progress and would pave the way for substantive progress, the Spokesperson said that “when progress is not achieved on the points or proposals that the Secretary-General, the UN has submitted, the choice available to someone who truly wants to see progress is not to wait, adopt a wait-and-see attitude, and watch from the sidelines, but rather to do what President Christodoulides did. To put forward proposals—always within the framework set by the United Nations Security Council resolutions—that can give the other side, if the will exists, that leeway or flexibility to accept them so that we can move forward at a more positive pace to the next stage. I repeat, however, so that we may be both honest and realistic. In this regard, under no circumstances should we overlook the role that Turkey is called upon to play—and in fact does play—when we have heard from the rostrum of the United Nations General Assembly, unfortunately, the Turkish President once again reiterate the demand—or, if you will, the insistence—on a two-state solution. Beyond that, we are also awaiting the Secretary-General’s personal envoy so that we may hear the United Nations’ views on the next steps.”
When asked whether reports are true that among the 19 proposals there is one concerning the opening of Famagusta and the reopening of the port under the auspices of the European Union, the Spokesperson said, “We have stated many times that we will neither confirm nor deny reports regarding these 19 proposals. And I must note that, both following the National Council meeting—where the entire political leadership of the country was briefed—and following the President of the Republic’s meeting with the leadership of the Democratic Party, EDEK, and the Ecologists’ Movement—which do not participate in the National Council—we have not seen these 19 proposals leaked. What we hope for—and out of respect for the dialogue with the Turkish Cypriot leader—is to hear his own thoughts tomorrow. Therefore, we neither confirm nor deny any news reports that have come to light.”
In response to a journalist’s remark that the public should be informed about the 19 proposals put forward by the President of the Republic—who has stated he is ready to make further concessions—the Spokesperson said that “The President of the Republic has said this many times—and I believe this leaves no room for misinterpretation—that there will be no deviation from the provisions of the United Nations Security Council resolutions, no deviation from the agreements reached to date, and this is something we uphold with religious reverence; this is our steadfast compass throughout this entire process. Beyond that, what the President of the Republic has said—because I think it is useful, or at least sensible, to consider the entire statement and not isolate a single phrase— of course, in any negotiation, both sides must make concessions. If this isn’t understood, I think we need to discuss the realistic facts. Concessions cannot be made, and concessions will not be made simply for the sake of making concessions. What the President of the Republic has said is that, yes, our side—and it has proven this—is willing to make those concessions that will lead to a feasible, sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem. And we have demonstrated this on the issue of crossing points as well. Our approach was different, and our proposal regarding the route for the crossing point at Athienou Pyroi was different; and when the United Nations Secretary-General presented a different proposal— a compromise proposal, we—precisely because we wanted progress to be made—accepted this different route. Furthermore, I would like to remind you that the entire political leadership of the country has been briefed in detail on each of these 19 proposals, which they respect and which are, of course, fully in line with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.”
When asked whether COP31—which will be attended by Mr. Erdoğan and a number of heads of state—will be utilized in relation to the Cyprus issue, the Spokesperson said that “Any observer acting in good faith who notes the way in which President Christodoulides, in particular, makes the most of every opportunity—especially with regard to diplomatic maneuvers and every opportunity for contacts —and foremost among these is our national issue—and no one can dispute that whenever an opportunity arises to engage in contacts, to make contacts, especially when leaders from so many countries—and possibly from the United Nations as well—are present, this opportunity is seized. I repeat, however, that at least for the time being, given the timing of the invitation, the specific agenda has not yet been finalized.”
Furthermore, when asked to comment on the meeting—similar to a Cabinet meeting—with young men and women that took place today at the Presidential Palace, chaired by the President of the Republic, the Spokesperson said that “the fact that the meeting was extended from one hour to two and a half hours demonstrates the substantive discussion that took place. Moreover, the entire session is available online, and it was broadcast live.
We have been truly impressed by the depth and quality of the proposals submitted in the respective portfolio areas, depending on what each young man and woman has presented. It is encouraging to see the country’s younger generation not only caring, but also possessing the qualifications and abilities to propose very realistic solutions. The proposals were not general; they were not merely theoretical. They were very specific, feasible, and practical. Of course, as is the case in Cabinet meetings, the financial aspect of each proposal was also addressed—an aspect that naturally applies to all proposals discussed in the Cabinet.
The conclusion of the discussion was, of course, that we, as the executive branch, will take a position on each of these proposals, and this position will be communicated.
The President of the Republic has encouraged them to continue developing these proposals through a broad exchange of views, because the major issues that affect citizens’ daily lives, as well as our national issues, do not fall under the jurisdiction of a single ministry. They require the collaboration of many different ministries.
Of course, such a meeting will be held again. If there’s one thing we take away from this, it’s optimism—and you can’t help but feel optimistic when you witness this discussion with these young men and women, the hope, the sense of responsibility toward these young people, and, of course, the soundness of this decision. And we must congratulate the Office of the Ombudsman for a very, very meaningful initiative that we want to see continue. Young people have a role to play.”
