Turkey says upcoming Cyprus conference ‘final opportunity’ for solution

ANKARA

AP photo

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has said the upcoming conference on Cyprus is the “final opportunity” to reach a lasting and comprehensive solution to the decades-old problem, calling Greek Cyprus to adopt a constructive attitude and sincere will. 

“If the aim of reconvening the conference on Cyprus is to make use of this final opportunity to reach a comprehensive settlement and successfully conclude the negotiation process that has been continuing on the Island for over two years, then all the participants need to adopt the constructive attitude that Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side are displaying by reflecting a sincere will for a settlement,” the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement late June 6. 

The statement follows a meeting between Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı and Greek Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades upon an initiative by the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Gueterres in New York on June 4. It recalled that Turkey was ready for the reconvening of the conference on Cyprus held in Geneva on Jan. 12, without preconditions as suggested by Gueterres. 

The statement recalled that Gueterres’ reference on the principles that “all issues will be discussed interdependently” and that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” through a direct reference to the Leaders’ Joint Declaration of Feb. 11, 2014.

“This being the case, the fact that the contents of the U.N. Secretary-General’s remarks have begun to be distorted by the Greek Cypriot side before the ink is even dry, and claims are being made that the preconditions put forth by the Greek Cypriot leader have been accepted, clearly demonstrate yet again the Greek Cypriot side’s lack of sincerity and the absence of political will for a settlement,” it stated. 

“That the contents of these remarks, which conveyed to the public the agreement reached during the meeting of the leaders with the U.N. Secretary-General, have been distorted and misinterpreted by the Greek Cypriot side so as to serve their domestic policy interests, only reinforces doubts regarding the intention of the Greek Cypriot side to establish a new partnership with the Turkish Cypriot side on the basis of political equality,” it added.