Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has said that an absolute principle for a solution of the Cyprus problem would be the guarantee human rights and the viability of the solution, through the functioning of the state, adding that if this is not so, things would be much worse. 

President Anastasiades was addressing an event commemorating the first President of the Republic of Cyprus, the late Archbishop Makarios, on Monday evening.

“I have made every humanly possible effort and I will do even more as long as there is mutual respect,” he said, adding that it should not just be our side which respects the concerns of Turkish Cypriots but also that they should on their part comprehend that there are international principles and not just Ottoman exhortations about principles.”

He underlined that his own and his predecessors top priority continues to be “reaching a mutually acceptable solution which will guarantee the functionality, viability and mutual respect, allowing all citizens irrespective of their community origin, to live together and create together in conditions of peace, stability, security and progress,”

He acknowledged that no-one overlooks the creation of faits – accomplis with the passing of time, but added that at the same time no-one can overlook Turkey`s aspirations.

Referring to a Conference on Cyprus which took place in the Swiss resort Crans – Montana, in the summer of 2017, he said that Turkey was not just seeking the continuation of guarantees in the island but also the permanent presence of a military unit in a military base in the northern part of Cyprus and at the same time through its demands for so called political equality, the necessity of a positive vote for all matters would lead to it dominating the entire state.

Given the renewed active involvement of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to the process, President Anastasiades added, “we will continue our efforts with determination in order to create the requisite conditions allowing for the resumption of a structured dialogue.”

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

After a tripartite meeting, in Berlin, between Cyprus President, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, on November 25, 2019, Guterres issued a statement saying that he “agreed to extend my efforts to achieve terms of reference to serve as a consensus starting point for phased, meaningful, and results-oriented negotiations at the earliest feasible opportunity.”