Eide: “Peace has never been so close in Cyprus before”

Stating that the best conditions to solve the Cyprus problem constituted in recent years, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide said that peace has never been so close in Cyprus before.

Eide who went to Ankara for an official visit, made an assessment to the reporter of AA regarding the Cyprus negotiations and the process and he reminded that he met with the TRNC President Mustafa Akıncı and the leader of the Greek Cypriot Administration Nikos Anastasiades frequently and Eide said: “We have achieved success in the negotiations in recent months and it gave me courage. Probably this is the best chance in the recent years to solve the Cyprus problem”.

Stating that they conducted a heavy schedule on one of the main agenda items which is the issue of property ownership, in recent weeks, Eide said: “One of the key issues is the property issue. If we fully overcome the property ownership, we will see the solution as well”.

Mentioning that a solution in Cyprus will not only be for the benefit of the Turkish side but also in favour of all parties, Eide argued that a united island’s economy will eliminate all political barriers.

Furthermore, Eide also stated that he had a chance to meet with the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu while he was in Ankara and he said that Turkey has an attitude in favour of a solution in Cyprus.

Eide conclude his speech and he said: “Mr Davutoğlu is my ex-colleague, we have worked together in the past and we know each other very well. Davutoglu confirmed to me one more time, that Turkey wants a solution. After a certain point, the guarantor countries will also be included in the negotiation process. I informed Ankara, the UK and Athens continuously about the progress of the negotiations. This is not only the Cyprus issue, it is also a regional and international problem.