President Akinci, speaking at a conference organised at the Kadir Has University in Istanbul last week, said that the ongoing Cyprus negotiations are aimed at reaching a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem. The time for concentrated peace talks in Cyprus, where the parties to the solution should be locked up in a room and not allowed out until they reach an agreement, has come, he said.
The President added that the three guarantor powers, Turkey, Greece and the UK would also need to be present.
Referring to the progress of the Cyprus negotiation process, Akinci said: “There has been important progress on three main issues, namely governance, economic issues and the European Union. On the remaining three issues – properties, territory and security, difficulties still remain. The two sides need to enter a phase where they will have to sort out differences in a concentrated effort.”
Pointing out that the current negotiation talks in Cyprus constitute the last effort of the older generations to find a solution based on a federation, Akinci underlined how young generations on both sides of the island had become estranged from each other after years of division. “This is the last effort of my generation to find a solution under a federal roof. Young generations on the island will have to find other ways. We need to solve the issue in a matter of months, not years,” Akinci said.
Referring to the issue of hydrocarbons, Akinci said that if the Cyprus problem is solved, this issue should not become an issue of dispute and tension. He added that the best approach for solving this matter, is to be united in order to find the wisest solution which will benefit all. “A scenario which could be beneficial for all parties and would please the EU as well, could be to solve the Cyprus problem and probably unify this natural gas with Israel’s natural gas and later transporting it from Cyprus to Turkey and then to the EU,” said Akinci.
Asked to reply to a question concerning the citizenship issue, Akinci reiterated that all TRNC citizens would become citizens of a United Cyprus to be and the EU after the solution.
Vatan
