AKEL’s proposal on the Cyprus problem can create prospects
Statements by the General Secretary of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou
15 May 2024, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia
AKEL’s request that its proposal to break the deadlock on the Cyprus problem, which according to representatives of the international community too creates prospects, should be discussed at the National Council, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou, reiterated.
Replying to a journalist’s question about the visit of the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Cyprus, Stefanos Stefanou expressed confidence that “in the next few days, the President of the Republic will brief us about the last round of contacts with Ms. María Angela Holguín Cuéllar, so that we can have the full picture as it has evolved. No one knows what will follow, in the sense that Ms. Holguín will obviously inform the Secretary General of the UN and the Secretary General will of course decide how to proceed further”.
What we have to bear in mind, the General Secretary of AKEL continued, is first and foremost the big picture. And the big picture is that as long as this impasse on the Cyprus problem lasts, which Turkey is weaponsing to consolidate the de facto situation leading to the permanent partition of Cyprus, we on our part must consider what initiatives we should be taking in an effort to create momentum for the resumption of the negotiations from the point where they were interrupted at Crans Montana.
AKEL has a position, it has submitted a proposal, it has repeated it many times, and I will say it now in public. We need the Greek Cypriot side and the Republic of Cyprus in general to move forward with a specific proposal, which could possibly create momentum. And this proposal must be on the energy issue in such a way that it concerns both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot community. All of this is included in the proposal that we have been submitting for a few years now and our proposal is well known.
We are once again calling on the President of the President to at long last discuss this proposal in the National Council, because unfortunately neither the previous President, nor the current President have even accepted to discuss our proposal.
Why energy issues? If we look at the statements made by Turkish officials, by Mr. Erdogan himself, even the day before yesterday, it is clear that Turkey’s priorities also include energy issues in the region. Therefore, one might reasonably think that on an issue that is of interest and concern to Turkey, if we come up with a proposal that of course does not violate our sovereign rights or crosses our “red lines”, because that is our proposal, then it is possible that the momentum we want to break the deadlock could be created.
Any ideas for direct trade [with the occupied areas] cannot be accepted because they lead to partition. Just as the logic of sovereign equality cannot be accepted, neither can the logic of a two state solution.
We want a one state solution with a single sovereignty, a single citizenship and a single international personality. This solution can be achieved within the framework of a Bizonal, Bicommunal Federation with political equality, all the more so as many issues have already been agreed, many things are already in the convergences that have been agreed and what needs to be done is to break the deadlock, to continue the negotiations, to preserve the convergences recorded and to discuss on the basis of the Guterres Framework.
Asked to comment on whether the conditions now are favourable for Turkey to accept what AKEL is proposing and convince the Turkish Cypriot leader, Stefanos Stefanou replied:
SS: Unless we try to do so in practice one cannot know whether it will yield results or not. You know, we often talk about what is feasible or unfeasible. A thing, which you consider to be unfeasible, if you don’t test in practice to see whether it is unfeasible or not, it will simply remain unfeasible.
We are not comfortable with the passage of time without a solution of the Cyprus problem, because that is precisely how we are heading to the permanent partition of Cyprus. 50 years have already passed, half a century since 1974.
We will have to act, and I will tell you the conviction of AKEL, because we have discussed our proposal with many representatives of the international community, it seems to have prospects.
Whether Turkey responds positively, no one knows. At the very least, we should put Turkey in a position to face up to this bet and convince the international community with this move that we do want and mean the solution of the Cyprus problem, that the international community should turn its attention to Turkey
15.05.2024
