Eide: “It is necessary to create an environment of trust between the two communities”
16 February, 2017Akıncı: “Greek Cypriot side will determine the future of the negotiations”
17 February, 2017In a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President Mustafa Akıncı made clear that unless the decision of the Greek Cypriot House of Representatives to mark the 1950 Enosis Plebiscite at Greek Cypriot schools is cancelled, it would be a major blow to attempts to foster trust between the two sides in Cyprus, and risks seriously damaging the negotiation process. President Akıncı requested the UN to launch an initiative for the decision to be retracted.
President Akıncı pointed out that the decision of the Greek Cypriot House of Representatives is not in line with the calls from both UN Secretary-General and UN Security Council to foster trust on the island and to prepare the two communities for a solution.
“Enosis was the main reason for the Cyprus problem, and this movement has brought nothing but pain and sorrow to Cyprus,” said Akıncı, adding that this decision would sow the seeds of division in the minds of future generations and make all confident building measures pointless.
Expressing his surprise that such a decision was passed 67 years after the event and was brought forward by the far right ELAM, President Akıncı stated that it was of even greater sadness that the Greek Cypriot leader Anastasiades’ party assisted the decision being passed.
Although the bi-communal Technical Committee on Education was established as a confidence building measure to develop culture, peace and education in case of a solution and for a viable federal Cyprus, it has become clear that the Greek Cypriot side has not acted responsibly to support this, Akıncı said.
In his letter to UN Secretary General, Akıncı emphasized that racist attacks by the Greek Cypriots towards Turkish Cypriots and the recent Enosis decision of the Greek Cypriot Parliament has increased the security concerns of the Turkish Cypriots.