Those claiming that they want a solution to the Cyprus problem should focus on the effort to resume negotiations instead of making inflammatory statements

AKEL reply to Turkish Foreign Minister’s statements

Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Stefanos Stefanou

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 11 January 2019, Nicosia

As the efforts by the United Nations for a resumption of the talks on the Cyprus problem are underway, statements that do not help towards this end must be avoided and unquestionably such were the latest statements made by the Turkish Foreign Minister.

We remind Mr. Cavusoglou that the Guterres framework, which Turkey declares it has accepted, provides for the immediate termination of the Treaty of Guarantee and any intervention rights. It also provides for the withdrawal of half of the occupying troops from the very first day, with a short timetable for their complete withdrawal and a mechanism for the implementation (of the solution) which assigns to the guarantor powers only a consultative role. The framework leaves open only whether there will be a review or withdrawal clause for the contingents of ELDYK and TOURDYK.

Regarding the issue of Natural Gas, it is obvious that only through the solution of the Cyprus problem will this issue be definitively resolved between the two communities on the basis of the existing convergences. The only issue that will remain open after the solution is the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone between Cyprus and Turkey.

All those claiming that they want a speedy solution of the Cyprus problem must – instead of making inflammatory statements – focus on supporting the efforts for a resumption of the procedure of the talks.