President Mustafa Akıncı met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York yesterday to assess the latest developments in the Cyprus Problem and analyse the process.
After the 40-minute meeting, President Akıncı gave a press statement; He noted that there was no clarification regarding the recent discussion of the tripartite or five-party meetings, but that the Secretary-General would take the initiative.
“There is no final decision, but we received the message that Guterres could take the initiative for a triple or a five-party meeting in October-November”, Akıncı said. “Guterres will contact the parties in the coming days and decide on a tripartite meeting and then on a meeting of five. There is nothing definite, but we have some impressions”.
Stressing that they held a very comprehensive meeting with the UN Secretary-General, Akıncı said “We have told about our steady position that we have maintained for the last two years”.
Akıncı stressed that the Turkish Cypriot side is now pursuing a result-oriented process and that the Turkish Cypriot people do not want to experience a new failure. He said that the Turkish Cypriot have suffered a great injustice in the form of embargoes, despite showing continuing good will for a solution.
Stressing that the United Nations (UN) Special Representative in Cyprus, Jane Holl Lute, has been working for a year to shape the terms of reference for renewed Cyprus negotiations, Akıncı said that they underlined three elements in this process.
Akıncı said that they had a very comprehensive meeting with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.“We talked about our steadfastness in Crans-Montana for the last two years. We have always highlighted three elements in these contacts and act with the awareness that they will form the basis of reference concepts. These are the existing agreements, the 11 February Joint Agreement Document and the Guterres framework of 30 June 2017. We are committed to a federal partnership based on two constituent states in political equality, freedom and security”, he said.
President Akıncı also mentioned the natural gas issue and stressed that the Turkish Cypriot side made a proposal on 13 July to contribute to the peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. Akıncı said, “We want to turn the hydrocarbon issue from an area of conflict into a field of cooperation. We reminded the Secretary-General about this issue today. More active participation is important”.
Akıncı said that it is very important for the UN Secretary-General to participate more actively in the following processes. He said, “As the Turkish Cypriot people, it is our right and great demand to ensure that what happened to us in 2004 and 2017 is not repeated… Despite our determination we continue to live under unjust embargoes and isolation. This is a great injustice to us. We are now pursuing a result-oriented process”.
Asked about the Greek Cypriot leader’s speech given at a UN meeting, he said.
“It is not possible to evaluate the attitude of the Greek Cypriot side as hopeful. As we have explained to the Secretary-General, they are continuing to set foot on the most fundamental elements of political equality. However, what we advocate are the UN parameters, which have been recorded in the UN reports and documents and formed over the years. Effective participation was included in the Security Council resolution 716 and other reports and resolutions. These are past compromises. Both include political equality and active participation in decisions. It is not possible for the Greek Cypriot side to say that I want a federal solution on the one hand and to go round the corner saying that I do not accept active participation with the two main elements of political equality, the rotating presidency.
“At that time, the UN will have to come out and report on the party that acts against the UN parameters. We will patiently take our steps. We will work in principle with the UN. We will demand that the UN bring the Greek Cypriot side into the UN principles. Rejecting political equality by saying that they want a federal solution within the UN parameters is not a sustainable attitude. We will see this together”.
Yeni Duzen
