President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades reiterated on Sunday the readiness of the Greek Cypriot side to immediately resume negotiations, underlining at the same time the need for the international Conference on Cyprus to be well prepared.
He also assured that the government will continue efforts to determine the fate of missing persons. Speaking at a memorial service, in the village of Kyperounta, located in the Troodos mountain range, the President said that it is inconceivable for the Greek Cypriot side to accept the “irrational” positions of Turkey, that insists on maintaining intervention rights, to establish a military base on the island and on the perpetual presence of Turkish troops in Cyprus.
It is not possible to accept such demands or present them to the Cypriot people as part of a proposal for a settlement, the President underlined.
He also said that the Greek Cypriot side is taking into account the concerns of the Turkish Cypriots, and that they should on their part act accordingly.
People both within and outside the borders of Cyprus need to comprehend that Turkey has maintained an intransigent and negative stance, the President went on to say, referring to the latest settlement efforts last summer. As the President noted, Ankara is “responsible for the failure of the last round of talks in Crans-Montana” in Swizterland.
He also said that it was made clear to the UN and to his counterparts abroad that the Greek Cypriot side is ready to resume negotiations immediately. He noted, however, that this requires the International Conference to be duly prepared.
There has to be determination and political willingness by everyone involved, not only by our side, in order to reach a settlement, the President stressed.
Turning to the families of missing persons, President Anastasiades assured them that addressing this humanitarian issue is a high priority for the government. “We will continue to work in order to put an end to Turkey’s unacceptable stance over this matter, which is a challenge for the civilized humanity,” he noted.
He said that the government will continue to ask the UN and the international community to exert pressure on Turkey and highlight its legal and moral responsibility on this issue. Furthermore he pledged to continue supporting the work of the Committee on Missing Persons.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. Since then, the fate of hundreds of people remains unknown.
A Committee on Missing Persons has been established, upon agreement between the leaders of the two communities, with the scope of exhuming, identifying and returning the remains of missing persons to their relatives.
According to data published on the CMP website by October 31, 2017, the remains of 635 Greek Cypriots were identified and returned to their families while 875 are still missing.
As regards the Turkish Cypriots, the remains of 197 were identified and returned to their families by October 31, 2017, while 295 are still missing. The number of sites excavated is 1171.
The latest round of UN-peace talks commenced at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana on June 28, but in the early hours of July 7, it was announced that the Conference on Cyprus ended without an agreement. Talks held under the auspices of the UN aim at reunifying Cyprus under a federal roof.
