There are many things Turkey should do in order to reach a solution of the Cyprus problem the soonest possible, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has said.
Anastasiades was commenting on an interview by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglou in the Sunday edition of the Cypriot daily “O Phileleftheros” in which, inter alia, he said Ankara has proven its will for a settlement.
“There are many things Turkey should do in order to reach a settlement to the Cyprus problem as soon as possible,” Anastasiades he said, invited to comment on the interview.
This, he added, “is not an issue of public confrontation but the matter concerns the well-known positions Turkey continues to maintain, which do not address the concerns of the Greek Cypriots.”
“I believe that these messages will, at the end of the day, be taken into account to achieve our goals as soon as possible,” he noted.
Anastasiades said he took note of Cavusloglu`s comment that the issue of guarantees should not be threat to the Greek Cypriots.
The President did not wish to make any further comment on Cavusoglu’s remarks, saying that negotiations for a solution are conducted at the negotiating table and not through the media.
In his interview with Phileftheros, Cavusoglu said the security concerns of both sides are important. He added that the Turkish Cyrpiots’ concerns with regard to security should be addressed but if a settlement is to last Greek Cypriot concerns must also be allayed.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. UN backed talks resumed in May last year aiming to reunify the island under a federal roof. The leaders of the island’s two communities, President Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, entered a more intensive phase of the negotiating process last November.
