We are fully aligned with the pace of the UN Secretary General as regards the Cyprus issue, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said on Thursday, expressing the will of the Greek Cypriot side for a conference in broader format to take place as soon as possible.
He also said that Nicosia will discuss some of its proposals regarding the EU – Turkey relations during the visit to Cyprus on Friday of the EU Special Representative for the Cyprus problem, Raffaele Fitto.
Ankara still holds the key to a positive outcome, he stressed.
Replying to reporters’ questions following the Council of Ministers meeting, Kombos expressed the will of the Greek Cypriot side for a conference in broader format to be held as soon as possible.
Asked about the preparation before the conference, the Minister noted that the UN Secretary General has announced the convening of the next conference ’emphasizing that he has also received the positive stance of all parties, including the guarantor powers and of course Turkey itself’.
So, he added, the UNSG is advancing with a pace and ‘with this pace, we are completely aligned and synchronized’.
The UNSG, he said ‘expressly stated that he is interested in the substance.’
‘And this is the goal on which we must work’, Kombos noted, adding that the preparation ‘has precisely to do with how- when we reach the expanded conference- there will be the possibility of announcing issues that touch on the substance of the negotiations.’
Regarding the Confidence Building Measures, he said ‘it would indeed have been particularly positive’ if there was an announcement yesterday regarding the opening new crossing points.
‘Unfortunately, we did not have this outcome, but we must stress that our side was completely constructive regarding the compromise proposal proposed by the UN Secretary-General himself,’ he added.
The Foreign Minister also referred to Nicosia’s strategy for ‘activating’ the UN and at the same time a more direct and active involvement of the European Union.
Tomorrow, he continued, during the meeting with Fitto, ‘we want the EU-Turkey issues to be utilized as leverage to arouse Turkey’s interest in a way that serves the essence of the negotiation of the Cyprus problem.’
‘We have proposals which we will discuss with Fitto,’ he added.
Asked whether it would be possible to hold the conference before the end of Guterres’ term, the Minister said that ‘we would definitely like this, given the fact that the Secretary-General has shown a personal interest throughout his term, he is knowledgeable about the essence of the Cyprus problem.’
‘So, from our side, our willingness and our consent should be taken as a given, to proceed as soon as possible to a conference with the current Secretary General to handle the issues,’ he added.
Asked whether the UN Secretary General will exert pressure on the other side to hold the conference before the end of his term, Kombos expressed the view that the Guterres ‘has a specific strategy, a pace, he announced some things yesterday. Our side, in terms of what was announced, was not only positive about going to the next meeting, on the essence now, but also in a way that could produce a result.”
Therefore, he continued, the UNSG has received Turkey’s consent, and “it is now- within what the UN Secretary General described yesterday- up to Turkey to give possibly again its position, again a positive one, -otherwise it is Ankara’s issue how it will explain (itself) to the Secretary General.”
We must have a positive perspective here, which is why we insist on the EU-Turkey dimension, Kombos added.
Replying to an other question, the Foreign Minister said that Nicosia’s strategy began in March 2023. “Adjustments are made, of course, depending on developments. So, for us, we believe that a mobility must be created on proposals of substance in relation to the European Union and the EU-Turkey ties.
‘We have the proposals, we have the opportunity to convey them, to discuss them,’ he said, noting that an effort is beginning, and that no one can make a safe prediction as to the time period to be concluded.
But he noted that “if this depended only on us, rest assured that it would be completed as soon as possible because we have this very clear disposition and strong will. However, time must be given, the necessary consultations must be held” and he referred to the Greek Cypriot side’s “very positive attitude.’
Asked what the UN Secretary General meant when he referred to the methodology as a stage before the convergence of the conference, the Minister noted that ‘it is perfectly logical to have a reference to methodology, in the sense that the effort aims to achieve a result on the substance during this process.’
Invited to comment on the Turkish side’s statements on the matter, the Minister noted “we have seen the statements, both from the occupied territories and from Ankara. We refer to what the UN Secretary General has publicly stated, about the framework, about convergences, about the need to go the last mile in terms of the negotiation process and substance”.
“So these are issues on which opinions can be expressed. In this effort, we are synchronized with what the Secretary General stated yesterday, with what we will discuss tomorrow in terms of EU-Turkey ties. We want to move forward to a final conclusion and a successful, expanded process with results”, he added.
Asked whether the ongoing process to upgrade Turkey’s role in the region, with contacts in Washington, should be taken into account, the Cypriot FM noted that Turkey’s role in the region has been upgraded “for a very long time now.”
He noted that the Republic of Cyprus is making its own effort to highlight its own usefulness and role in the region, “due to the network of relations we have with all the countries around us.”
Turkey, he noted, has various aspects of the EU-Turkey ties that are of interest, adding that ‘these are matters that we see as issues that can be discussed under conditions, without affecting the core of the Cyprus problem, without changing our negotiating stance and position, in the sense that where leverage for progress can be created, the Republic of Cyprus as a member state of the European Union is ready to enter into a substantive treaty that will yield some positive results.”
Kombos noted that the Greek Cypriot side will continue to insist “that we can enter into a process of substantive negotiation for a comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem only and exclusively within the framework set by the UN Security Council.’
Antonio Guterres was the first time in Cyprus and the first UNSG to visit the island in 16 years. His visit took place 27-29 of July. Before departing Cyprus, Antonio Guterres, announced on Wednesday the convention of another 5+1 meeting on the Cyprus problem, after adequate preparations on confidence building, methodology and substance, taking into account the convergences already achieved.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. 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.