President Akıncı: “A positive outcome to the settlement talks will send a message to the world that fears can be replaced with cooperation”

President Mustafa Akıncı emphasized that a positive outcome of the settlement talks will have implications beyond the borders of Cyprus.

Stating that cooperation and co-development will eliminate mutual fears, President Akıncı said that the communities that shared the pains of the past have now come to the point of sharing their prosperity and development by evaluating new opportunities together.

The President also highlighted that Turkish Cypriots have fears about the Greek Cypriots due to past experiences, and that Greek Cypriots also have fears about Turkey due to what happened in 1974. “The only way to eliminate these reciprocal fears is cooperation and co-development” President Akıncı said.

The next phase of the negotiation process will start bilaterally on 9 January in Geneva between the two parties aiming to reach convergences on outstanding issues, and will continue on 12 January with the participation of the three guarantors. President Akıncı said that “The results of the settlement in Cyprus will not only be limited to Cyprus. At first, it will concern the Cypriots, but then it will send a message to the world that fears can be replaced with cooperation.”