Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has said he feels confident that further progress can be achieved in the coming months in the Cyprus negotiations. The talks will be focused, result-oriented and will concentrate both on existing divergences and on issues that the two sides have yet to negotiate.
“The two sides have reached a common understanding on an important number of issues related to the chapters of Governance and Power-Sharing, Property, Economy, and the EU.
“However, significant differences still remain in the aforementioned four chapters, while we have yet to hold any substantive discussions on two decisive chapters, namely Territorial Readjustments and Security and Guarantees, as well as on other issues which are fundamental and constitute an integral aspect of the comprehensive settlement, such as Day 1 of the settlement and what it would entail, and drafting the federal constitution, laws and legislation,” he said. He noted, however, that he felt confident that progress in the coming months, would be accelerated.
“This is due to the fact that we will intensify the negotiating process through meetings twice a week and during our meetings each of the thematic clusters that we have created will be discussed,” Anastasiades said.
Therefore, the president added, “our discussions will be targeted, results-oriented and practical, and will focus both on existing differences and on issues that we have yet to negotiate.”
Anastasiades remains optimistic that a settlement can be reached, providing both sides remain seriously engaged, constructive and maintain mutual respect. Any actions that might endanger the negotiations must be avoided.
The international community, he pointed out, must send Turkey the message that, “[as] an occupying force in Cyprus, [it] needs to grasp the opportunity offered by the current juncture in the negotiations, acknowledge its own historic responsibility and contribute concretely to the process, not via rhetorical assurances, but through the adoption of concrete steps which will positively underpin the climate of hope prevailing in the island.”
Cyprus Mail
