Akıncı: “The Turkish Cypriot side is ready to reconvene the conference as soon as possible and is willing to stay there until the result is achieved”

President Mustafa Akıncı stated that the Turkish Cypriot side is ready to reconvene the Cyprus conference as soon as possible and is willing to stay there until the result is achieved within the framework of the final declaration of the first session of the Cyprus conference.

In his written statement, Mustafa Akıncı emphasised that there has been a serious progress in the negotiations in the last  two years and that the Turkish Cypriot side has played a crucial role in ensuring this progress with their consistent focus on constructive discussions. He added that map work has also been done for the first time in relation to territorial adjustments.

Although the Turkish Cypriot side maintains its constructive and creative attitude and has made all the necessary efforts in order to overcome the differences, Akıncı stated that there have not been new convergences on the first four chapters, which are Governance and Power Sharing, Economy, European Union issues and Property.

“The Greek Cypriot side is still having difficulty in accepting some basic elements such as the political equality of the Turkish Cypriot side, which is sine qua non in a federal solution,” Akıncı said.

Akıncı continued as: “The Turkish Cypriot side insisted that the end of year 2016 should be a goal for the solution, due to possible risks in 2017. The atmosphere and escalation of disruptive rhetoric that we have seen recently as a result of the build up to the Greek Cypriot presidential elections in February 2018 has unfortunately justified our concerns. This has also been reinforced by the escalation of the natural gas issue in recent months.

“At this point, it is clear that there is a natural calendar. In order to reach a solution, it is obvious that it will be necessary to move forward with a comprehensive package approach given the limited time frame.  At this point, the major outstanding issues are well known by both sides and also by the UN. In order to reach a conclusion on these issues, it is time for all sides to take reciprocal steps by making difficult decisions and to continue with a comprehensive package. So the Turkish Cypriot side is ready for the convening of the conference as soon as possible, as stated at the final declaration of the Cyprus Conference’s first session, and is willing to stay there for as long as it takes until a result is achieved.”

Akıncı continued that the Greek Cypriot leader proposed at the last leaders’ meeting that any conference on Cyprus should give the first priority to negotiating Territorial Adjustment, Security and Guarantee issues, and only if these were agreed, then the remaining issues should started to be negotiated. Akıncı added, however, that this proposal of the Greek Cypriot leader is completely contrary to the 11 February 2014 Leaders’ Joint Declaration and is not solution-oriented.