Press Releases

Despite the well-known difficulties, the result of today’s meeting is considered as a first positive step in the effort to resume the dialogue, the President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, said last night, following the dinner he attended with the UN Secretary-General, Mr Antonio Guterres and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Mustafa Akinci, in Berlin.  

In statements to the Press, the President of the Republic said that “throughout the day, there was a creative effort and deliberations on behalf of the negotiators and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations which lead, with the consensus of the Secretary-General and the two leaders, to the elements that are included in the Joint Communique, issued by the United Nations as a Statement by the Secretary-General.

Despite the well-known difficulties, the result of today’s meeting is considered as a first positive step in the effort to resume the dialogue.

I consider as important the fact that the Secretary-General reiterated his decisiveness to continue, in collaboration with the two leaders and the guarantor powers, the effort to convene an informal five-part meeting. A meeting with the mandate to conclude the terms of reference, which will allow for the resumption of a targeted and creative dialogue that will lead us to a viable and functional solution.

Another element I would like to call attention to is the recording of the coincidence of positions of the two leaders on the basic parameters that will govern the solution that is sought after, as noted down in the Communique. These include the Joint declaration of 11 February 2014, the convergences achieved so far and, of course, the UN Secretary-General’s six-point framework.

I would like to note that it is self-evident that in order to resume substantial negotiations, apart from reaching an agreement on the terms of reference, Turkey needs to terminate its unlawful activities against the Republic of Cyprus, any threats to open Famagusta for settlement or any threats for faits-accomplis in the Buffer Zone.”

(AM/MP/AH)