President Akıncı: “No one should ask for pause in the negotiations”

President Mustafa Akıncı said that if a result is not reached within 2-3 months on Cyprus issue, the process will decline after the elections in South Cyprus, therefore no one should ask for a pause in the negotiations anymore.

President Akıncı was responding to questions from the press at the Presidency following his meeting with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades yesterday.

President Akıncı stated that they focussed on trying to shape the roadmap for the negotiations during yesterday’s meeting. Akıncı added that he will meet with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades on 9, 16, 23 February and that, alongside this, the negotiators will continue their meetings regularly.

Stressing that the process that started with the five party conference on 12 January in Geneva is still continuing, President Akıncı added that the meetings are ongoing in Geneva at the technical level. The United Nations was requested to come together with the guarantor countries to determine a date to reconvene the five party conference at a political level at the beginning of March.

Stressing that the election process will start on the Greek Cypriot side after 1-2 months and that exploration for natural gas will be on the agenda again, Akıncı said that both leaders confirmed during yesterday’s meeting that the momentum gained in the process should continue.

Responding to a question, Akıncı reiterated that they made a clear request for the ‘beginning of March’ for five party conference, and that a date will be decided together with the guarantor countries.

Akıncı also added that, in the event of a solution, the aim will be to relocate as few people as possible.