Greek Cypriot President Anastasiades has said he will not return to the Cyprus negotiations which he described as “a dialogue of the deaf”, ‘Famagusta Gazette’ reports.
“I would have been unworthy of the people’s mandate if I had remained at the negotiating table under threat and new “faits accomplis” which Ankara has created”, Anastasiades said.
He said that developments in the region may have prevented some circles from taking more decisive measures against Turkey, even if they fully recognise that South Cyprus’ decision to suspend its participation in the ongoing dialogue is justified.
“The unacceptable provocation by Turkey, five days before the beginning of the substantive dialogue on the Cyprus problem, not only violates international law in a flagrant way but it also proves wrong all those who believed in Turkey’s assurances about a substantial contribution to the solution of the problem,” he stated.
As regards natural resources in [South] Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Anastasiades said that:
“Some third parties from foreign countries advise us that it is possible, through various actions, for the natural wealth to be determined now with the participation of the Turkish Cypriots. I want to point out to them that nothing of the sort will ever be accepted. Such a thing will never be accepted.”
“What we have said and we repeat and we will keep saying because it is the obvious, is that the natural wealth belongs to the state and it is therefore also an incentive for Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots. Let there be at last a solution and through the solution the Turkish Cypriots will also of course benefit and will certainly also enjoy the benefits,” he declared.
Anastasiades continued that, “unfortunately, the recent actions by Turkey do not serve the purpose of confidence building measures or the creation of a constructive environment which would facilitate the process of the talks. To the contrary, they create mistrust and raise serious doubts within the Greek Cypriot community with regard to Ankara’s true intentions of Turkey.”
Adopting confidence building measures would be a tangible proof of the commitment of the leadership of both communities, and in particular of Turkey, for the support of the efforts by civil society to build understanding, trust and good will, acting in this way as a catalyst for the negotiating process, he said.
“I want to make clear that if there is a side that is interested in the earliest possible solution of the Cyprus problem, this is neither Turkey nor the Turkish Cypriot leadership that have hindered the solution for 40 years through their intransigence. It is neither Turkey nor the Turkish Cypriots who were forced to abandon their ancestral homes. It is the Greek Cypriots who are paying the price,” he alleged.
