President Akıncı received the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
13 July, 2016Atun: agreements on citizenship which make the Greek Cypriots a majority should be avoided
14 July, 2016A meeting between President Mustafa Akıncı and the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades regarding EU and economic matters, was described by President Akıncı as “fruitful”.
President Akıncı said that issues such as the federal executive, legislature and judiciary, will be discussed on 22 July, while internal security issues will be discussed on 26 July. Akıncı also noted that the chapter on territory will form part of a broader discussion without mentioning place names, percentages or maps.
Technical issues such as VAT were discussed during the meeting, where economic and EU experts were present, President Akıncı noted.
The President stated that the remaining time will be used in the best possible way to reach a solution in Cyprus in 2016.
President Akıncı said that although the main responsibility belongs to the Turkish and Greek Cypriots and their respective Leaders, the role of third parties and the developments around Cyprus should not be ignored. He added that the Greek Cypriot authorities have indicated that if a solution cannot be reached by March 2017, the Greek Cypriots will become engaged with their upcoming leadership elections. President Akıncı also pointed out that a new UN Secretary General will be taking office in 2017 and a new political cycle will begin in the USA.
Akıncı stated that depending on how much progress is reached, territorial issues and guarantees are likely to be taken up at a five-party conference between October and December, and added that it will be necessary for the leaders to meet on a regular and constant basis in order to reach a solution.