President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades assured on Sunday that he would never abandon the effort to achieve a solution of the Cyprus problem, that would be accepted by the Greek Cypriots as well, through peaceful dialogue.
President Anastasiades, addressing the national memorial ceremony for Kyriakos Matsis, a hero of the 1955-59 national liberation struggle, said that he was aware of the limits that could lead to a compromise and what the people of Cyprus wish for.
During the talks at Crans Montana, Switzerland, last summer, Anastasiades said, the Greek Cypriot side remained determined, hoping that the six parameters set by the Secretary General of the United Nations, would allow to establish whether there was sincere willingness on the part of Turkey to create the conditions that would lead to a solution in the framework of which Cyprus would become a fully independent and sovereign state, the guarantees system and the right of intervention would be abolished, the occupation army would withdraw and human rights would be respected.
Despite the determination of the Greek Cypriot side and the constructive proposals it submitted “Turkey insisted on the continuation of guarantees. She insisted on maintaining the right of intervention, she insisted on the presence of an occupation army, leading to an impasse which ended an effort after two years of intense and painful negotiations” President Anastasiades noted.
“What I would like to assure you is that we will never abandon the effort to achieve a solution that would be accepted by the Greek Cypriots as well, through peaceful dialogue” he added, noting that a solution must be sustainable and would not collapse as a result of its provisions.
He went on to reiterate that he was aware of the limits that could lead to a compromise and what the people of Cyprus wish for, adding that Greek Cypriots, and hopefully the Turkish Cypriots themselves, seek to live peacefully and create prospects for their homeland.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The latest round of UN-backed negotiations, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, ended inconclusively in July 2017.
