AKEL General Secretary meeting in Brussels stresses the need to break the deadlock on the Cyprus problem

 

AKEL meeting with the Head of the Office of the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

5 December 2023, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The General Secretary of the Central Committee of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou, who is in Brussels for meetings and contacts with European officials, had a meeting this morning with Camilo Villarino, Head of the Office of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.

The General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL was accompanied by the member of the Political Bureau of the C.C. and Head of the Cyprus Problem Office of AKEL, Toumazos Tsielepis.

In his statements after the meeting with Camilo Villarino, Stefanos Stefanou described the meeting as very interesting. “With Mr. Camilo Villarino, we have agreed that the prospect of a solution to the Cyprus problem is still alive, despite the numerous difficulties that exist and despite the fact that since 2017, after the collapse of the Crans Montana conference, there has been a deadlock, which indeed is the longest in the history of the Cyprus problem,” said the General Secretary of AKEL.

Furthermore, Stefanos Stefanou also said that “we have once again discussed the issues relating to this perspective and we have agreed that the only way forward is to continue the negotiations from the point they had remained at Crans Montana, preserving the convergences that have been agreed so far and negotiating on the basis of the Guterres Framework”.

In addition, the General Secretary of AKEL added that “we discussed the issues concerning the situation in the region that of course affect the Cyprus problem, particularly the situation in the Middle East. At the same time we pointed out that the solution of the Cyprus problem will permit the full participation of Turkish Cypriots and at the same time it will help Turkey’s accession procedure”. “This would convey broader messages,” continued the General Secretary of AKEL, “which the EU also wants to send to the international community and to the Muslim world. Namely, that it can work towards strengthening the EU’s relations with the Arab and Muslim world.”

“We agreed with Mr. Villarino that we should be in touch,” concluded Stefanos Stefanou, adding that “in any case, we briefed the EU about AKEL’s positions and initiatives seeking the breaking of the deadlock that has existed since 2017. At the same time we informed [our interlocutor] of AKEL’s initiatives to further promote the relations of trust between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, something which is extremely important in the conditions characterised by the deadlock we are going through and to keep alive the hope of reaching a solution”.