Akıncı and Yıldırım call on the Greek Cypriot side to “Correct this mistake”

President Mustafa Akıncı has said that a solution which guarantees the equality, freedom and security of the Turkish Cypriot people will ensure energy security and opportunities for cooperation in the region. Otherwise, he warned, new tensions may arise.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım was received by President Akıncı yesterday, as he arrived in the TRNC for a working visit. They held a joint press conference following the meeting between the delegations.
In his speech, President Akıncı stated that they had had opportunity to discuss challenges regarding the Cyprus issue obstructing the negotiation process, and that the pair had made an assessment of the future of the talks.
Akıncı said, “Today, our greatest expectation is for the Greek Cypriot side to correct the grave mistake of the Enosis decision. It is a culture of peace that we need in Cyprus, not a culture promoting Enosis. If they show that they can correct this mistake, this would be an important development for themselves as well, and it would also help to rebuild trust between the two societies.”
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım stated in his speech that Turkey expects the necessary grounds to be established to allow the Geneva conference to be held again.
Yıldırım also said that Turkey would continue to support the TRNC’s efforts towards reaching a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Cyprus Problem, describing the Enosis decision of the Greek Cypriot side as “unfortunate”.
“Instead of correcting this mistake, the Greek Cypriot side is continuing to adopt an aggressive stance that ignores the sensitivities of the Turkish Cypriots,” said Yıldırım. He added that the Greek Cypriot side should have demonstrated strong desire for a comprehensive solution.