Replies of the General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL S.Stefanou to journalist’s questions on the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation ‘First Briefing’ program

 

29 September 2022

Your comments on Turkey’s threats and the appeal it has issued for the recognition of the illegal regime [in the occupied areas]…

SS: This temporality that we have been living since 1974 onwards and the continuation of the illusion of the current status quo, is proving to be a time bomb that may explode at some point.

It takes a lot of composure to confront Turkey’s threats, but also not to get distracted by what we as the Greek Cypriot side and the Republic of Cyprus are doing to push things in the direction we want: We should be encouraging the UN and the EU to take initiatives at some point to resume the talks from where they had remained [at Crans Montana]. It will not happen now, it is not the right time, but we must first of all convince them that we really do want a solution of the Cyprus problem and that we are moving in the correct direction.

QUESTION: Turkey presents itself as blackmailing the US to secure arms. In Cyprus we are downplaying Turkey’s moves – separate agreements on UNFICYP as two separate states. Do you insist on continuing the talks from where they had remained at Crans Montana? How realistic is this objective today?

SS: We have no choice but to strive for a solution [of the Cyprus problem] as agreed since 1977 for a bizonal, bicommunal federal solution with political equality. It is on this basis that the Cyprus problem can be solved in the way we would like. That is to say, the termination of the occupation, the reunification of our country and people, the existence of a functioning state and for the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to co-manage the common state within the framework of political equality.

Certain forces and circles are downplaying Turkey’s efforts to proceed with the imposition of new fait accompli on the ground. They did that in the past and they are doing the same thing now. For example, when we too were saying and warning about the danger of new fait accompli being imposed as a result pf the stalemate surrounding the Cyprus problem and Turkey’s threats were being issued of new fait accompli being imposed in Famagusta and on the ceasefire line, certain forces and people said these threats were…“communication games”.

Turkey knows very well that when there is a deadlock [on the Cyprus problem] and in the minds of the international community it has been relieved of any responsibilities regarding the collapse of the Crans Montana talks, Turkey uses it to consolidate new fait accompli.

For that reason we must convince the international community, with the assumption of feasible initiatives we need to take, with consistency to our positions, that we genuinely want and mean the solution of the Cyprus problem.

At the moment, the Anastasiades government is viewed as equally responsible for the stalemate. The international community and the UN Secretary General himself tells us so in resolutions and the Reports he submits.

Turkey is instrumentalizing the situation to put pressure on the US as well. It isn’t doing that only today. It knows all too well and NATO too, and they declare it at every opportunity, that Turkey is for them a strategic ally. They repeat it every time there is a summit meeting and Turkey uses this in its various games. Turkey is deepening its relations with Russia, which worries the Americans and NATO. The US and NATO are trying on the one hand to put some barriers to this development, and on the other hand whatever Turkey asks for they satisfy its demands in one way or another because they do not want to let it lean towards Russia. It’s a game that Turkey is playing and its allies are simply trying to keep Turkey close to them. Turkey benefits from this stand.

QUESTION: On Turkey’s threats and ongoing tension: what if Turkey seeks to militarize the crisis with the aim of imposing new fait accompli on Cypriot territory to seek to gain recognition of the pseudo-state [in the occupied areas]?

SS: Threats and rhetorical escalations must not mislead anyone, neither Greece nor Cyprus so that the tension isn’t recycled. Turkey must be subject to appropriate political and diplomatic responses without adding fuel to the fire.

The resolutions of the United Nations so far have prevented the fulfillment of Turkey’s objectives. There is no other way other than a diplomatic and political response to Turkey and its objectives. It is the responsibility of the given government of the day to take initiatives in this direction. The President of the Republic should also perhaps call for the convening of the European Council so that the political powers can be briefed and each from their own spectrum do what they can.

This is where it also matters how much credibility you have so as to be in a position to convince [the international community]. For a long time now the government has lost its credibility. And it’s not only AKEL that says so. The international community itself says so too.

For example: All the times President Anastasiades has addressed the Secretary General of the UN and told him that he is ready to continue negotiations from where they had remained at Crans Montana, the UN Secretary General has shown that he is not convinced that there is a political will in Cyprus for him to take the initiative. For four years, in the Reports he has submitted, the UN Secretary-General has been saying that we should continue negotiations on the basis of the Guterres Framework and build on the convergences that have been agreed. All these years he received no response from anyone and became discouraged, as a result of which he has not repeated these appeals recently.

All we can do and our objective must be how we regain our credibility internationally and encourage the international community to push for the resumption of the talks.

QUESTION: If the Secretary General of the UN is not convinced, why is he sending the Assistant Secretary General Mrs. Di Carlo to Cyprus?

SS: The Secretary General of the UN is sending Mrs. Di Carlo for contacts in Cyprus, within the framework of the international discussions that are underway, to see whether there is any possibility of something being done. For some time now the Secretary-General of the UN has not appointed a Special Envoy [on Cyprus].

We are facing a Turkey that is acting provocatively and a Turkish Cypriot leader who is a puppet of Ankara. They have both raised and promoted the demand for a two state solution, which they never did before because of the Resolutions of the UN. At the same time we are being held jointly responsible [for the deadlock]. This should long ago have been a matter of concern to the DISY government and the President. Why are they not convincing? Why has our international credibility been lost? This should have been of concern to the government…