The return of the fenced-off city of Famagusta to its rightful owners may become a substantial Confidence Building Measure, presenting a chance to create the necessary conditions for the reunification of Cyprus, President Nicos Anastasiades said on Saturday. The President was speaking in Derynia, during an anti-occupation event, organized by the Famagusta Municipality, occupied by Turkish troops since the 1974 invasion in Cyprus. “United, we must go forward together for Famagusta and for the reunification of Cyprus” the President said in his address.
He added that the will of the Greek Cypriot side for a Cyprus solution is very strong, while preparations for peace talks are ongoing. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of talks, under UN auspices, have so far yielded no concrete result in the direction of a political settlement that would reunite the country under a federal roof, as stipulated by UN resolutions.
The last round of peace talks started on September 2008, with community leaders meeting for the last time within this framework on January 2012. A new round of talks is expected to start this autumn. As President Anastasiades noted in his speech, the appropriate conditions were necessary in order to engage in substantial negotiations that will lead to concrete results. Towards this direction, the Greek Cypriot side submitted recently a proposal for the return of Famagusta to its owners, foreseeing in parallel the opening of the town’s port to trade with EU countries. President Anastasiades did not exclude other moves, like the implementation of the Ankara Protocol, or the “unfreezing” of Turkish accession negotiations’ chapters. President further addressed the Turkish Cypriot community, calling it to become “partners in the effort to reunite Cyprus”.
He sent moreover a message to Ankara, stating readiness for building a new relationship between Cyprus and Turkey. On Famagusta, President Anastasiades expressed resoluteness in demanding its liberation and return to its rightful owners. “The prettiest city of Cyprus is a dead city” without inhabitants and with the destruction evident in its buildings, the President said. “A whole town without life, there is no town with the same status in the whole world” he added. The President of the Republic said moreover that there is no rationale behind Turkey’s insistence in keeping an EU city as a hostage. “Famagusta is a crucial test for all of us, but primarily for Turkey” he said, noting that its return can be a substantial CBM, if Turkey cooperates in the negotiating table. He said finally by saying that the “ghost town” of Famagusta can become a test for the common future of the two communities of Cyprus, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. As it stands, it only exposes “Turkey’s inhuman attitude and intransigence”, highlighting Ankara’s grave responsibilities, the President concluded
