Özgürgün: “A result can be obtained in Geneva if there is an intention”

The political parties in the TRNC Assembly assessed last week’s New York summit and the upcoming Geneva Conference which is planned to take place in the second half of June.

The meeting was hosted by President Mustafa Akıncı and lasted for an hour. The President briefed the representatives of the political parties on the outcome of his recent meeting in New York with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades.

The political parties expressed their support to President Mustafa Akıncı ahead of the upcoming Geneva conference.

UBP leader, Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün, expressed that an agreement can be reached in Geneva if there is an intention from both sides. He said, “If the Geneva conference ends without success, it will not be possible to reconvene it or to hold long-lasting negotiations again”.

Stating that a conference will be held in Geneva without preconditions and that all issues will be discussed in parallel with the hope of achieving a solution, Özgürgün said that the Turkish Cypriot side has always shown goodwill for a lasting and viable settlement and that it also took all the necessary steps. Özgürgün also stated that the first Geneva conference failed because of the stance of the Greek Cypriot side.

Prime Minister Özgürgün said, “Although the desired outcome has not been achieved after the four-month break, the decision to reconvene a conference is a positive step. I hope the Greek Cypriot side takes good advantage of it, as this is a great opportunity and the last chance to find a solution. We hope an agreement is reached in the presence of the guarantors, although we have not seen positive signals from the Greek Cypriot side yet”.