President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias has stressed he expects the Turkish Cypriot side to follow a policy in line with the agreed basis of the Cyprus talks, that would pave the way for a productive dialogue aiming at reaching a solution of the Cyprus problem.
The Greek Cypriot side, he reiterated, is ready to enter into a substantive discussion on all chapters of the Cyprus problem with the Turkish Cypriot side in the context of the UN-led peace talks aiming at finding a comprehensive solution that will reunite the island.
President Christofias noted that the statement made by the UN Secretary General following his meeting with the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, on the 7th of July in Geneva, explicitly reaffirms that the Cyprus reunification negotiations, which are under way since 2008, are Cypriot-owned and Cypriot-led.
In his eulogy delivered at the funeral of the remains of Greek Cypriot Evelthon Ioannidis, who had been missing since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the President said that since 2008 his government has been striving to free Cyprus from the Turkish occupation.
“We are striving to achieve a just, under the circumstances, viable and functional solution that will end the Turkish occupation and Turkey`s policy of illegally bringing settlers to Cyprus and reunite our country and our people, on the basis of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, as defined in the UN Security Council resolutions. A state with one and only sovereignty, a single international personality and single citizenship“, he underlined.
A solution, he added, that will safeguard human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots.
The President warned that the division of Cyprus would constitute a disaster for the country and the Cypriot people.
He went on to say that the course of the Cyprus talks has so far been a difficult and painful process. However, “he added,“ we will exhaust all possibilities offered within the curent agreed process to achieve our goal. “
“The only way leading to a viable and functional solution of the Cyprus problem is direct negotiations. This is the correct way that our side has followed all these years after the Turkish invasion. This is the path we follow, reinforcing our efforts by securing a just and agreed process, “he said.
This process, he added, has been reaffirmed during the recent meeting in Geneva between the leaders of the two communities and the UNSG.
He stressed that Cypriot-owned and Cypriot led negotiations are explicitly reaffirmed within UNSC’s statement made after the meeting in Geneva.
He made it clear that any enhanced involvement the United Nations are ready to provide in consultation with the leaders of both communities, will not affect the basic principle that the process is Cypriot –owned and Cypriot –led.
“We cannot repeat the painful mistakes of the recent past that led Cyprus issue to dangerous deadlocks,” he underlined.
He also noted that the UNSG‘s statement, clarifies that the parameters of the agreement sought are defined in the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
“We expect the Turkish Cypriot side within the next days to completely align with the basis of talks, something which will enable a productive dialogue“, he stressed.
He recalled UNSG resolution 1251, saying that it clearly states, that the solution of the Cyprus problem will be a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality as defined in the resolutions of the Security Council, a state with one sovereignty, one citizenship and one international personality, excluding any form of partition or secession .
“This is the basis that the UN continues to support, “went on to say.
President Christofias said further that intensification of talks also took place in the past between he himself and the previous Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.
He expressed the readiness of the Greek Cypriot side to work intensively so that Cyprus is reunified.
“We hope this effort to yield the desired results“, he stressed.
We are ready, he added, “for a substantive discussion on all chapters of Cyprus issue so that there are no“ untouched areas “in the negotiation process, as the Secretary General noted in his statement.
President Christofias said that the Greek Cypriot firm position is that an international conference could be convened only when the two sides are within a range of an agreement.
In fact, he concluded, UNSG expresses the same position in his statement.
President of Cyprus Republic Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu have agreed in the meeting in Geneva to enter into an intensive period of negotiations on the core issues of the Cyprus problem and meet again with the UNSG in October in order to look into the progress of the negotiations.
The meeting in Geneva has been the third meeting between the UNSG, President Christofias and Eroglu, after the meetings in New York in November 2010 and Geneva in January of this year.
Cyprus has been divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion. Peace talks are currently underway to find a negotiated settlement that will reunite the country, under a federal roof.
