AKEL GS: I imagine the President realises that we are heading towards the final partition

 

The General Secretary of AKEL appeals to the President to take initiatives for the resumption of talks

15 August 2021, ‘Dialogos’ portal

Today, the General Secretary of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou appealed to the President of the Republic to take specific initiatives for the resumption of talks for a solution to the Cyprus problem and not to “follow developments passively” that are bringing us closer and closer to the final partition of Cyprus.

In statements following a symbolic event AKEL organised to mark the black anniversary of the second phase of the Turkish army invasion at the Cultural Centre of the Famagusta Municipality in Deryneia, the General Secretary of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou said that the consequences of the coup d’état and invasion are still ongoing today, “even more intensely, bearing in mind the upgrading and strengthening of Turkey’s provocative and aggressive actions, as well as its increased efforts to impose new serious fait accompli, which not only aggravate the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, but also bring the final partition of Cyprus one step closer”. If the final partition is eventually achieved, “it will be the starting point for new adventures against our people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots”, he said.

This is precisely why, he continued, we must make every effort to avoid partition and there is only one way to do that, and that is “by solving the Cyprus problem, by liberating and reunifying Cyprus within the framework of the agreed basis for a solution, that is to say bizonal, bicommunal federation.” He added that “Turkey is fully exploiting the deadlock and absence of any negotiations that has resulted from the negotiating procedure at Crans Montana. It is also evident that Turkey is also comfortable with the passage of time and the deadlock that exists surrounding the Cyprus problem in order to implement its strategic objective of partition.”

The Greek Cypriot side, noted S. Stefanou needs to take concrete initiatives in order to create the preconditions for breaching the deadlock.

After stating that “AKEL has repeatedly asked the President to take these specific initiatives”, he said that the President “refuses and wonders what else he can do, apart from what he has done”. He added that “I would imagine that the President realizes that with the stalemate and actions that Turkey is taking, that we are getting closer and closer to the final partition”.

He added that AKEL submitted a specific proposal in December, “which the President rejects without even discussing it” and its advantage is that it is based on what the Secretary General of the UN, and therefore the international community, says, “namely that efforts need to be made to resume the talks from the point where they were interrupted at Crans-Montana, in the way the Secretary General himself says, and we need to create those dynamics so that negotiations can resume”.

As Stefanos Stefanou said, “the Secretary General of the UN says that we need to turn the hydrocarbons issue into a catalyst for a solution and this is exactly what AKEL’s proposal says. Therefore, instead of passively watching developments unfold that are bringing us closer and closer to the final partition of Cyprus, the President needs to take concrete initiatives.” He added that “we are asking him to do so, at least in the spirit of AKEL’s proposal. Otherwise, if he sticks to this passive stand, he will be held to account for any developments that occur and for the fact that we will ultimately end up with the final partition, which will be a huge wound and create enormous damage for Cyprus, our homeland and people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots”.

“This”, the General Secretary of AKEL added, “is the appeal we make to the President of the Republic, who is responsible for handling the Cyprus problem, reminding him that policies are not judged by intentions and announcements but judged by end results and so far the results, unfortunately, are very negative”.

Asked whether AKEL’s proposal can dampen Turkey’s intransigence and bring it to the negotiating table, Stefanos Stefanou replied that “we believe so. It has the preconditions to create pressure on Turkey so that it can be forced to abandon its provocative stance.” He also said that “we don’t know whether Turkey will eventually abandon this stance, but we have to create the preconditions and put pressure on Turkey to force it to move.”

If this is not done, S.Stefanou added, “Turkey is playing with time and will impose more and more new and serious fait accompli and we will be led with mathematical certainty to the final partition of Cyprus.”

Asked whether he believes that the measures and countermeasures being elaborated by the government to counter Turkey’s attempt to create new deadlocks in Famagusta can thwart Ankara’s plans, the General Secretary of AKEL replied no.

“They are not going to if we are just trying to belatedly address Turkey’s actions.” For things to change, “negotiations must resume, with the aim of completing an effort that at this stage began in 2008, which is precisely why the Secretary General of the UN does not want to lose the acquis of the negotiations that exists in the convergences recorded, especially the convergences agreed between Christofias and Talat, which are valuable and very important,” he said.

With these convergences, the General Secretary of AKEL continued, we have covered a very important way towards a solution to the Cyprus problem, there is still work to do and it can be done if negotiations are finally resumed from the point where they were interrupted at Crans Montana and negotiated on the basis of the Framework of the UN Secretary General. “Therefore, what the Greek Cypriot side needs to do, under the responsibility of the President of the Republic, who is handling the Cyprus problem, is to take initiatives to create preconditions, to put pressure on Turkey and create a momentum for the resumption of negotiations. Otherwise, we will remain at a standstill and in a stalemate that fully suits Turkey and all those forces and circles who are flirting with and want partition”.

The event included the laying of wreaths at the Memorial of the Fallen and Missing Persons in Deryneia Municipality, where the General Secretary of AKEL said that with these monuments we honor those who gave their lives and fought for a specific goal, adding that “we pay tribute to the people who, although betrayed and unarmed, defended the territorial integrity of our homeland, in their efforts to save it from the Turkish army invasion, which was provoked by the fascist coup of 15 July 1974”.

S.Stefanou also referred to the issue of the missing persons, saying that this is a humanitarian problem, and AKEL’s position was and is that efforts must continue, regardless of any developments on the Cyprus problem, to determine the fate of each and every missing person.

Referring to the fascist coup, he said that “it was not some foolish act by a few fools, but it was a treacherous act of certain people who wanted to implement NATO’s plans that were hatched against our homeland”.

At the same time, Stefanos Stefanou noted, “we make a promise to the victims and heroes, and especially to the relatives of the missing persons and the fallen and heroes, that AKEL and the mass organisations of the Left, will continue the struggle for the achievement of a solution to the Cyprus problem, that will liberate and reunite our land and people and that will make our people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots the real masters of our homeland, so that we can rule it without any guarantors and guardians, in order to make our homeland a real place of lasting peace and cooperation”.

At the same time, the General Secretary of AKEL continued, “we want to reiterate our commitment that we will continue this struggle to vindicate the sacrifices of the heroes and the fallen, because only with the solution of the Cyprus problem, only with our liberation from the occupation and with reunification will we be able to vindicate these sacrifices, which unfortunately were many because of the betrayal committed.”