President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades has stressed that without an overall solution of the Cyprus issue, there can be no intermediate solutions.
The President, who was replying to questions on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the Nicosia Development Agency, said that what we need is an overall final agreement of the Cyprus problem.
Invited to comment on the Turkish Cypriot leader’s statements in favour of an intermediate solution of the Cyprus issue, the President said that ‘what we need is an overall final solution in line, firstly with the international law and secondly with the EU acquis communautaire. Without an overall solution there is no way to have intermediate solutions, so Akinci’s statements are his own not ours’.
He continued by saying that one should not confuse the solution of some issues raised by the UNSG – the major of which is the abolition of the guarantees, the intervention rights and the withdrawal of the occupation army– with any other issues’ adding that there are a lot of issues to address before being ready to present a solution before the people, who will be the final judge’.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The leaders of the two communities, President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have been engaged in UN-backed talks since May 2015 with the aim to reunite the island under a federal roof.
The latest round of negotiations, in July this year, ended inconclusively due to unacceptable demands by both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots to maintain Turkish military presence on the island and retain the right of intervention and the right of guarantee which Ankara secured through the 1960 treaties that established the Republic of Cyprus.