Turkey must be accountable for her proposals on Cyprus issue

Turkey must be accountable and liable for any proposals she submits in the framework of any new procedure to solve the Cyprus issue, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has said. Anastasiades unveiled on Sunday in Paralimni –southeastern coast of Cyprus- a monument dedicated to tpeople who perished during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus. He noted that “any new process will remain under the auspices of the UN and will aim at finding a solution based on the High Level Agreements, the UN Security Council resolutions on Cyprus, the July 8 Agreement and the unanimous decisions of the National Council”.

The President stressed that the solution must not neglect Cyprus’ capacity as a member of the EU “and for this reason a substantial involvement of the EU is required”. “An assertive policy is absolutely necessary, as is the support and outside help to persuadeTurkey to abide by the international law and the acquis communautaire”, Anastasiades said. He added that it is important that the negotiations are well prepared and create the conditions for a positive result.

The Cypriot President said that the National Council “will play a crucial role in drafting a comprehensive outline of a solution”. “The Government and I personally believe that the Cyprus problem was and remains the greatest national challenge, despite difficult economic conditions our homeland is experiencing nowadays” he noted. Replying to a question the President said that Cyprus’ partners in the EU “would have not been allowed to impose conditions on us if we had taken measures promptly to address the problems of the economy”.

Anastasiades pointed out that as long as Cyprus maintains fiscal discipline and does not deviate from its priorities “we will succeed”. “With the policies we will be announcing and the incentives we have granted I am sure that we will attract foreign investments and our economy will start recovering” said the President. Cyprus, divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory, is faced with an unprecedented economic. Repeated UN-led rounds of peace talks have so far failed to bring about a negotiated settlement that would reunite the country. Talks are expected to resume between the two Cypriot communities in October.