If there is sincere political will by the Turkish Cypriot side regarding the 19 proposals and the issues discussed at both the expanded meetings and throughout the preceding period, then progress can be made on the Cyprus issue, Government Spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Friday, in remarks made following the meeting between the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, and the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín.
According to Letymbiotis, the meeting included a review of the regular meetings held by the President of the Republic with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhurman, and in particular the most recent meeting, which, as President Christodoulides himself noted, took place in a very positive and constructive atmosphere.
As he noted, during the meeting the 19 proposals submitted by the President of the Republic were discussed and how the discussion between the two leaders might proceed on these proposals, covering confidence-building measures, substantive issues and methodology, so that each side can contribute, to the best of its ability, to achieving the objective set out by the United Nations Secretary-General, to which he remains committed, namely the convening of a successful expanded conference within Antonio Guterres’s term of office.
He added that the President of the Republic, in view of the joint meeting already scheduled with the Turkish Cypriot leader, conveyed to Holguín his view that it would be beneficial to hold as many joint meetings as possible during her stay in Cyprus.
He added that Holguín had informed him that she had a meeting scheduled for Monday with Tufan Erhrman, during which she would also discuss with him the matters they had discussed with the President of the Republic, and that a further update would be provided.
Asked whether recording and handing over convergence points from previous negotiations had been discussed, Letymbiotis said that this is the position of the Greek Cypriot side, which has been conveyed in every possible way, both through the Greek Cypriot negotiator and through the President of the Republic.
‘This approach remains, that this record of points of convergence will contribute to the effort to resume negotiations, that is to say, to establish this self-evident common understanding of how we resume negotiations from the point at which they were suspended’, he added.
Asked about the reservations expressed recently, following Holguín’s interview on 17 October, and whether the President of the Republic conveyed these reservations to her today, the Government Spokesperson said that this is not a matter of reservations, but rather of what exactly the added value of the United Nations’ presence is, under whose auspices the regular meetings between the President of the Republic and the Turkish Cypriot leader take place, and what is the value and significance of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy also being present.
He reiterated that the President of the Republic had conveyed this approach during Holguín’s stay in the country, namely that it would be positive and could only be beneficial to hold as many joint meetings as possible in her presence.
Asked whether the President of the Republic intended to put forward any new ideas at the joint meeting, or even, for formal reasons, to present the 19 proposals in writing, a matter about which the Turkish Cypriot leader had expressed complaints, Letymbiotis said that the 19 proposals had been discussed at the last meeting between the two leaders, some of which, as the President of the Republic himself has stated, have been rejected and others are under discussion, with the aim being to discuss them in substance.
‘As we have said many times, we are here for anything that can be considered constructive. That is our approach, to be constructive. However, I believe that the substance of the 19 proposals is perfectly clear, especially if we take into account one of them in particular, the one concerning the enclosed area of Varosha together with the port of Famagusta. I believe that if we wish to discuss the substance of the matter, and if our common approach is to find ways to accept these proposals, we can do so’, he noted on that matter.
Asked whether the request from the occupied municipalities for meetings had been conveyed to Holguín as part of her engagement with the civil society, the Spokesperson said that the President of the Republic had conveyed to Holguín the request from the Famagusta Municipality and other occupied municipalities and organised groups, which have asked or wish to meet with her, adding that this is something she will assess herself, together with her office.
Asked whether any outcome can be achieved by the end of Holguín’s visit to Cyprus, Letymbiotis said that this, of course, is possible.
‘If the obvious is in place, if there is sincere political will on the other side regarding the 19 proposals and everything that has been discussed both in the two expanded meetings and throughout the entire preceding period, then of course progress can be made,’ he emphasised.
Asked to comment on yesterday’s remarks by the Turkish President and Ankara’s efforts to upgrade the status of the occupation regime within the Organisation of Turkic States, Letymbiotis said that even if many efforts are made by Turkey or the illegal regime, there can be no violation of international law.
‘The Security Council resolutions and the international community as a whole have, over time, categorically taken a stance for the Republic of Cyprus as the only internationally recognised state, and all these diversionary attempts on the part of Turkey do nothing to contribute to the climate that the UN Secretary-General himself wishes to create,’ he further stressed.
Asked whether the above actions were having a negative impact on the climate of the negotiations on the Cyprus issue, the Spokesperson said that they certainly do not contribute positively, adding that if what we wish for is a positive approach and a positive response to the UN Secretary-General’s call, this should be reflected not only in the content but also in the tone of public statements.
‘Precisely because we are aware of what is at stake, precisely because we wish to see progress on the Cyprus issue, I believe this is evident not only in our public statements, but even more so in the proposals we put forward’, he added.
Asked whether Holguin had been informed of the stance observed at this meeting, where Erhrman was present alongside the President of Turkey, Letymbiotis said that these are matters discussed with the UN, whilst the Permanent Mission of Cyprus to the UN conveys all messages to the UN Secretariat and takes the appropriate diplomatic steps.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.