Speaking after his latest meeting with President Anastasiades, President Akinci has said that the talks were useful and had contributed to real progress in the Cyprus negotiations.
Turkish Cypriot press reports say that the three and a half hour-long meeting held on Monday, was used to look at how existing convergences in the first four chapters could be converted into agreement. He also refuted press reports that past agreements had been revoked and noted that there was no question of altering them.
He also indicated that Turkey’s demand for the granting of 25,000 citizenships to Turkish nationals by the TRNC, which is conditional to the signing of Turkey’s economic protocol, would not be met.
Since the formation of the new right-wing UBP-DP coalition in the North, moderates in the TRNC and in South Cyprus were concerned that if the protocol containing this condition were to be signed, it would be a deal breaker at the negotiating table.
However, Akinci said that there were no plans “to include the issue of granting 25,000 new citizenships” on the agenda, and no question of undertaking actions “which might in one way or another blow up the negotiation process”.
Akinci went on to stress that, as Turkish Cypriot community leader, it was he who conducts the talks, irrespective of changes in government in the North.
The next presidents’ meeting has been rescheduled for 6th May, he said. Further meetings will be held after the South’s parliamentary elections on 22nd May.
Cyprus Weekly
