Akıncı: “Turkey’s exclusion from security arrangements is out of the question”

President Mustafa Akıncı stated that Turkey’s exclusion from security adjustments on Cyprus is out of the question and emphasised that this option is not, and has never been, on the agenda. He said, “Unfortunately, there are many distortions regarding this issue nowadays.”

Speaking at an event yesterday, Akıncı called on the Greek Cypriot side not to insist on an unhelpful maximalist manner, and added that it is not possible to reach a solution with the insistence on “zero troops, zero guarantees.”

Stating that the point of view of the United Nations also does not align with the precondition of “zero troops, zero guarantees” as demanded by the Greek Cypriot side, Akıncı said: “My statements are being distorted. Issues that are not in the documents of the United Nations are being deliberately depicted as if they exist and to imply that the UN is presenting a ‘zero troops, zero guarantee’ proposal to us. Nothing like that exists either in our plan, or in our program, or in the recommendations of the UN.”

Indicating that the natural resources around the island are potentially worthy of rehabilitating all the people, Akıncı said that unilateral efforts of one side to try to confiscate these riches are not acceptable.

Akıncı also noted that the Greek Cypriot side is often warned about establishing a joint committee for progressing the issue of natural resources around the island, otherwise the unilateral gas exploration activities of the Greek Cypriot side would be left exposed after a solution.

Emphasizing that the most rational, the cheapest and the quickest way to transport the common natural resources around the island to Europe would be via Turkey.