President Nikos Christodoulides has reaffirmed the Greek Cypriot side’s readiness to resume peace talks, saying there is no alternative to resolving the Cyprus problem.
Speaking at a gathering of refugees in Achna, in the Famagusta district, on Friday, 9 October, he pledged to continue efforts to end the occupation and reunify the island.
Christodoulides said Greek Cypriot proposals addressed issues raised by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, including the negotiating process, confidence-building measures and the substance of a settlement.
He said the proposals could pave the way for renewed negotiations and that he would convey this message to the Turkish Cypriot leader at their meeting the following week.
The President described ending the occupation as his top priority, stressing that efforts to restart talks would remain grounded in the agreed framework and the understandings reached in previous negotiations.
There was no “Plan B”, he said, pointing to the UN Secretary-General’s political will and support from the European Union as grounds for cautious optimism.
He called on the Turkish side to return to talks, saying reunification could be achieved if there was genuine political will.
Reflecting on the experiences of people displaced in 1974, Christodoulides praised the resilience of those who found refuge in Achna and elsewhere and rebuilt their lives.
Cyprus has been divided since Turkey’s invasion in 1974. The most recent major round of UN-led settlement negotiations ended without agreement at Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in July 2017.
Source: Cyprus News Agency