The President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades has offered, through his recent statement, a way out of the deadlock in the UN-led Cyprus peace talks for a political settlement, Deputy Government Spokesman Victor Papadopoulos has said, calling at the same time on all sides to acknowledge this.
Responding to a question on the upcoming visit of Espen Barth Eide, the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Papadopoulos said that “the President of the Republic assumed an initiative, made a move that should be acknowledged by everyone”.
He referred to the President`s statement on January 5 in which Anastasiades offered a way out of the current stalemate. “If there were good will on the part of the other side, there could be an end to the deadlock,” he pointed out.
He said moreover that third parties, mediators and everyone else should acknowledge this gesture by the President.
They need to turn towards the Turkish and the Turkish Cypriot side, in order to “terminate the illegality, stop the blackmail, end the Navigational Telex, halt the threats against the Republic of Cyprus and the threats against the country exercising its sovereign rights, in addition to stop harassing Nicosia in the exercise of its sovereign rights, so that the talks for a solution to the Cyprus problem can resume” he noted.
Papadopoulos also said that the resumption of talks is something that the Greek Cypriot side desires “more than anyone else”.
President Anastasiades suspended his participation in the UN-led peace talks following a Navigational Telex or NAVTEX, issued by Turkey in October last year, as Turkish seismic research vessel “Barbaros” violated the Republic’s exclusive economic zone.
Repeated calls for the withdrawal of “Barbaros” went unheeded by Ankara, which announced recently the NAVTEX`s extension until April 6, 2015.
Turkey, whose troops occupy Cyprus’ northern part since they invaded in 1974, does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, in spite of numerous calls by the EU, which Ankara aspires to join, to do so and normalize relations with Nicosia.