Bitter Disappointment at Cyprus Talks in Geneva
April 29, 2021Cyprus talks in Geneva are a bitter disappointment because of the Turkish-Cypriot position, said President Anastasiades.
Turkish-Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar submitted the Turkish-Cypriot positions in writing. They clearly diverge from the work done so far with former leader Mehmet Ali Talat.
“I must say that what Mr. Tatar submitted in writing is very disappointing.”
President Anastasiades
Polar opposites
The positions of the Greek-and-Turkish Cypriots are now polar opposites.
The Turkish-Cypriots and Turks demand a two-state solution. The Greek-Cypriots and Greeks demand a bi-zonal federation and this has been the basis of talks going back decades.
The difference between the two is the question of sovereignty and legitimacy. The Republic of Cyprus is the only internationally-recognised state authority. A two-state solution would mean two sovereign entities and a permanent partition. This has been ruled out many times in the past.
President Anastasiades cited the UNSG letter of October 26 that says that the talks should be on the basis of the work that has been produced so far.
Cyprus talks in Geneva continue today
President Anastasiades will submit the Greek-Cypriot positions to the UN in writing supported by scientific evidence and not only the political view of things, he said.
The talks continue today under the auspices of the UN. A dinner between the leaders is expected at the end of the two-day summit.
“Our effort was to create a positive climate without provocations and without comments to the unacceptable things we have heard.”
President Anastasiades.
Past efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem
There have been innumerable attempts to settle the Cyprus problem. Two of them stand out as moments of historical definition in that they reached the stage of a settlement plan.
In 1979, the American-British-Canadian (ABC) solution for a bi-zonal federation was drafted and rejected by Spiros Kyprianou and Turkey. Much later, in 2004, the UN’s Annan Plan was put to community referenda. It was rejected by the Greek Cypriots and approved by the Turkish Cypriots.
The failure of both plans only showed how polarised the issue of unification is and how little trust and goodwill there is at the political level.
Hardliners make a comeback
Today, the political scene has changed because Turkey no longer bothers to agree to reunification and now insists on a two-state deal.
But the Greek Cypriots, the EU, the UK and Greece are against a solution that recognises the results of the 1974 war – the TRNC. Turkey broke international law when it invaded the island and used force to get its way, therefore the TRNC resulted from an invasion.
Turkey has hardened its line on Cyprus – or finally shown its true intentions – after Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu ruled out reunification between the Greek-and-Turkish Cypriots.
Turkey’s position goes against international community - President
The Turkish-Cypriot and Turkish position goes against the international community, said President Anastasiades in more comments from Geneva.
There is no chance of succeeding with a two-state solution, he added.
The president confirmed that there is no question of the UK recognising the TRNC.
