Ertuğruloğlu: “Current negotiations do not point towards equality”
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4 May, 2017President Mustafa Akıncı has stated that it is not possible to make progress in the negotiations by discussing the same issues again and again, adding that the four chapters should be discussed with the support of the UN.
President Mustafa Akıncı made the statement on his return from the four-hour-long meeting with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades.
The President said that that the leaders mainly discussed the issues related to active participation in decision making, however he stressed that some divergences remain. Akıncı said “It is not possible to make a progress by July if talks continue like this.”
Stating that the UN must carry out shuttle diplomacy between the sides without making official proposals and without taking on a mediatory role in order to get a result as soon as possible, Akıncı said that new tensions may arise in case of the Greek Cypriots’ latest natural gas exploration project in July.
President Akıncı also indicated that there has been no progress on the rotating presidency, which is one of the important issues for the Turkish Cypriots.
The President expressed that the TRNC had declared that it will not leave the table because of the negative attitude of the Greek Cypriot side. He added that the TRNC wants to see the goodwill of the Greek Cypriot side to find a positive outcome to the talks, instead of losing the chance for a solution to be reached.
Regarding the Greek Cypriot media’s efforts to create an optimistic atmosphere about the negotiation process, Akıncı warned that this optimism does not reflect the reality of the situation.
The President departed for İstanbul today, in order to hold a conference on the Cyprus negotiations process on Thursday, the 4th of May at the Istanbul University’s Faculty of Political Science. On Saturday the 6th of May, he will deliver the opening speech at the Global Leaders Forum at Bahçeşehir University as the honorary guest.
President Akıncı is expected to return to the island on Sunday the 7th of May.