President Nikos Christodoulides has been briefed about the meeting of the UN secretary general with his personal envoy, taking place at UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday. Elsewhere, Turkish Minister of Defence, Yasar Guler, made the provocative statement that the so-called “peace operation” by Turkish troops, on the eve of the 50-year of the Cyprus occupation, is part of the “glorious history of Turkey.”
Sources meanwhile report that UNSG personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin will convey to General Secretary António Guterres the current state of affairs and why the whole effort on the Cyprus issue is not progressing.
Resumption of Talks
In remarks to state broadcaster CyBC on Wednesday, deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou said the request for resumption of talks remained steadfast for the Greek Cypriot side. Antoniou noted that indications for the resumption of negotiations are not positive, however he assured that the government will continue the effort to end the impasse.
The UNSG will also meet with Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and “very specific messages” would be conveyed by him on behalf of the Republic, Christodoulides said on Tuesday evening, at an event hosted by the ambassador of Belgium to Cyprus. “It’s not something hidden. We are saying this publicly about the need to start a conversation, to see if there are prospects for resuming talks,” Christodoulides said, noting that next steps would be determined after the meeting in New York.
“It’s an important week that I hope will lead to positive developments. We are ready from our side,” he added.
Turkish Perspective
The Turkish defence minister, meanwhile, in his remarks at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the invasion of the island, said that the Greek Cypriot side was intransigent and reiterated support for a two-state solution. Claiming both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots had approached the international efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue positively, he blamed the Greek Cypriot side for the lack of success to date.
Turkey’s priority is to resolve the Cyprus issue as soon as possible, in a way that guarantees the interests and security of the Turkish Cypriots, Guler added. He also demanded an agreement between the United Nations peacekeeping force (Unficyp) with the north, regarding their presence on the island.
Elsewhere, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar at a lecture on “Lessons learned from the May 27 coup and the peacekeeping operation in Cyprus” claimed that peace prevailed on the island in 1974 and that the Turkish Cypriots made large gains during the past half century, according to a report in Kibris newspaper. Tatar added that the successful struggle averted the island becoming Greek and established an “independent Turkish state”. The goal is now to strengthen and develop that ‘state’, which is a member of the Organisation of Turkic States, and has claimed its place as a state to be reckoned with in the Eastern Mediterranean, he said.
In his speech Tatar referred to Cyprus as a part of Turkey and said linking up to Turkey’s water and electricity systems would ensure no one would be able to separate the two.
Varosha Discussions
In the meantime, the Turkish Cypriot ‘MPs’ Armagan Jadan (Republican Turkish Party) and Oguzhan Hasipoglu (National Unity Party) participated in Oslo last week at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the issue of Varosha. MPs from across Europe were discussing a report written by PACE rapporteur for Varosha Piero Fassino, who visited Varosha in May.
The Turkish side reported on the situation noted that the issue of Varosha was sensitive and being discussed in depth for first time at the council. Hasipoglu in his remarks claimed that the 1984 UN security council resolution is outdated and stated that the activities of the north’s ‘immovable property committee’ render the resolution obsolete. He also claimed that the Greek Cypriots have rejected all solution proposals and argued that the rapporteur’s report was unfair.
