If the obvious is the case, if there is sincere political will on the Turkish Cypriot side regarding the 19 proposals and everything that has been discussed at both expanded meetings as well as throughout the entire preceding period, progress can be made on the Cyprus issue, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letympiotis, in remarks made on Friday following the meeting between the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Cyprus, María Ángela Olguín.
According to Mr. Letympiotis, the meeting included a review of the regular meetings the President of the Republic had held with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhurman, and in particular the most recent meeting, which, as President Christodoulides himself noted, took place in a very positive and constructive atmosphere.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
As he noted, the meeting addressed the 19 proposals submitted by the President and how the discussion between the two leaders can proceed on these proposals regarding confidence-building measures, on substantive and methodological issues, so that the Greek Cypriot side can contribute, to the best of its ability, to achieving the goal set by the United Nations Secretary-General—to which he remains committed— namely, the convening of a successful expanded conference during Mr. Guterres’s term of office.
He added that the President of the Republic, in view of the joint meeting already scheduled with the Turkish Cypriot leader, conveyed to Ms. Olgin his view that it would be beneficial to hold as many joint meetings as possible during her stay in Cyprus.
He added that Ms. Olgin informed him that she has a meeting scheduled for Monday with Mr. Erciyuman, during which she would also discuss with him the matters they had discussed with the President of the Republic, and a further update would be provided.
When asked whether the issue of documenting and handing over the points of convergence from previous negotiations had been discussed, Mr. Letympiotis said that this is the position of the Greek Cypriot side, which has been conveyed in every possible way—both through the Greek Cypriot negotiator and through the President of the Republic.
“This approach remains: that documenting these points of convergence will contribute to the effort to resume negotiations, that is, to establish this self-evident common understanding of how we resume negotiations from the point where they were suspended,” he added.
When asked about reservations expressed recently, following Ms. Olgin’s interview on October 17, and whether the President of the Republic had conveyed these reservations to her today, the Government Spokesperson said that this is not a matter of reservations, but rather about what exactly the added value is of the United Nations’ presence—under whose auspices the regular meetings between the President of the Republic and the Turkish Cypriot leader take place— and what is the value and significance of the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General also being present.
He reiterated that the President of the Republic has conveyed this approach during Ms. Olgin’s stay in the country, namely that it would be positive and only beneficial to hold as many joint meetings as possible in her presence.
When asked whether the President of the Republic intends to present any new ideas at the joint meeting or, even for formal reasons, to submit the 19 points in writing— an issue about which the Turkish Cypriot leader had expressed complaints, Mr. Letympiotis said that the 19 proposals had been discussed during the last meeting between the two leaders, some of which, as the President of the Republic himself has stated, have been rejected and some are under discussion, while the goal is to discuss them on their merits.
“As we have stated many times, we are here for anything that can be considered constructive. That is our approach: to be constructive. However, I believe that the substance of the 19 proposals is perfectly understandable, especially if we take into account one of them, the one concerning the enclosed area of Varosia along with the port of Famagusta. “I believe that if we want to discuss the substance of the matter and if our common approach is to find ways to accept these proposals, we can do so,” he noted on the subject.
When asked whether the request from the occupied municipalities for meetings had been conveyed to Ms. Olgin as part of her engagement with civil society, the Spokesperson said that the President of the Republic had conveyed to Ms. Olgin the request from the Famagusta Municipality and other occupied municipalities and organized groups, which have requested or wish to meet with Ms. Olgin, adding that this is something she will evaluate together with her office.
When asked whether any results could be achieved by the end of Ms. Olgin’s visit to Cyprus, Mr. Letympiotis said that, of course, they could.
“If the obvious is present—if there is sincere political will on the other side regarding the 19 recommendations and everything that has been discussed both during the two expanded meetings and throughout the entire preceding period— then of course progress is possible,” he emphasized.
When asked to comment on yesterday’s remarks by the Turkish President and Ankara’s efforts to upgrade the occupation regime within the Organization of Turkic States, Mr. Letympiotis reiterated that no matter how many efforts are made by Turkey or the pseudo-state, there can be no violation of international law.
“The Security Council resolutions and the international community as a whole have, over time, categorically supported the only internationally recognized state, which is the Republic of Cyprus, and all these diversionary efforts on the part of Turkey do anything but contribute to the climate that theUN Secretary-General himself wishes to create,” he emphasized.
When asked whether the above actions negatively affect the atmosphere of the negotiations on the Cyprus issue, the Spokesperson said that they certainly do not contribute positively, adding that if what we desire is a positive approach and a positive response to the UN Secretary-General’s call, this must also be reflected in public statements—in both their content and tone.
“Precisely because we understand what is at stake, precisely because we want progress on the Cyprus issue, I believe this is evident not only in our public statements but even more so in the proposals we submit,” he added.
When asked whether Ms. Olgin had been criticized for the stance observed at this meeting—which was attended by Mr. Erhurman alongside the President of Turkey— Mr. Letympiotis said that these are issues being discussed with the UN, while the Permanent Mission of Cyprus to the UN conveys all messages to the UN Secretariat and takes the appropriate steps.
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Source: CNA
