The President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades said today that Cyprus expects Turkey to demonstrate genuine political will and negotiate in good faith for a political settlement to reunite the island.
“We do hope and expect that Turkey, which still military occupies the northern part of Cyprus, will demonstrate genuine political will and negotiate in good faith, so as to contribute constructively to the efforts to reach a settlement as soon as possible, not only in theory and rhetoric, but through practical and substantial actions”, he stressed.
Receiving the credentials of new Ambassador of Guinea, based in Egypt, Soriba Camara, the President said that the government`s first priority is to reach a comprehensive, viable and fair settlement of the Cyprus issue.
“A settlement based on a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, as set out in the relevant Security Council Resolutions, the High-Level Agreements and the Joint Declaration of February 2014, with a single international legal personality, a single sovereignty and a single citizenship, safeguarding the principles upon which the European Union is founded and ensuring the peaceful co-existence and prosperity of all Cypriots”, he pointed out.
President Anastasiades said that the recent assumption of the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community by Mr Mustafa Akinci creates expectations and hopes for cooperation and joint collaboration, through engaging in substantive negotiations, with good will and determination, so to finally reunite our homeland, free from any occupation forces, and for Greek and Turkish Cypriots to peacefully live and co-exist together, as we they had done so for centuries.
As regards Confidence Building Measures, he expressed strong belief in the adoption of CBM aiming at building trust, confidence and good will between the two communities and welcomed the measures adopted so far and their positive impact to the everyday life of our people.
“This is an ongoing process and we do hope that we will be able to adopt more measures in the near future, including bold measures that are considered as game-changers”, he added.
Referring to the financial crisis that hit Cyprus in 2013, he said that since then, and as result of the hard work of the government and the efforts of the ordinary citizens, “I can state with certainty that we have turned the page; the Cypriot economy is now on the road to recovery”.
“Cyprus has made great progress on its reform program during these past two years. The credit institutions have been fully restructured and recapitalized, most importantly through foreign capital. Public finances have been consolidated”, he explained.
President Anastasiades said that the government is aware of the challenges ahead, but noted that
its emphasis is now turned towards the necessary structural reforms.
As regards bilateral relations, he said that Cyprus looks forward to the strengthening of ties and to that respect, stands ready to join efforts in exploring new areas of cooperation.
He also recalled that Cyprus has extended financial support to Guinea’s endeavours in the prevention of HIV/AIDS by designating the latter as ‘a partner country’ in its Development Cooperation Strategy.
In his speech, Ambassador Camara said that his country has a great deal of investment opportunities to offer and pledged to work towards the enhancement of bilateral relations.
Referring to the Cyprus issue, he welcomed the determination of the Cyprus government to work for a solution and said that Guinea supports UN efforts for a lasting and comprehensive solution, that would reunite the island, its people and its institutions.
The Republic of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and still occupy 37% of this Mediterranean EU island`s territory. The leaders of the two communities in Cyprus are currently engaged in UN-sponsored peace talks, aiming to reunite the country under a federal roof.