AKEL on Erdogan’s statements

 

26 July 2023, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

Erdoğan’s statement yesterday that Turkey can once again display the stand it showed during the period of the Annan Plan, adds to the contradictory messages that Turkey has been sending out lately, against the background of international geopolitical turmoil and bearing in mind the major economic problems that the Erdoğan government is facing domestically.

Of course, no one can know whether the occupying power and Tayyip Erdogan will move away from its unacceptable demands for a two state solution that they have been reiterating since 2017 and onwards or whether they will accept to enter into negotiations on the basis of the Framework as set out in the Resolutions of the Security Council of the UN on Cyprus.

However, what is incumbent on our own side is to do everything in our power to test Turkey’s intentions in practice. In AKEL’s understanding, this means that the Greek Cypriot community and the Cypriot government will express explicitly and without any footnotes its readiness for a solution on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality and for a resumption of the talks from the point where they were interrupted in 2017 at Crans Montana, on the basis of the Guterres Framework and the entire negotiating acquis (body of work).

It also implies that we should put forward proposals in the field of energy, always within the “red lines” of the Republic of Cyprus, so that it is made clear that a solution to the Cyprus problem can be beneficial for all. Finally, if at some point the negotiating procedure is resumed, this implies absolute consistency and readiness in what we proclaim, bearing in mind the bitter experience of the past.

AKEL underlines that Turkey and the partitionist circles in the occupied territories are perfectly at ease with the occupational status quo, which is essentially a quicksand in which Cyprus and its future are sinking into. AKEL also stresses that no one else in the international community will be interested in a solution to the Cyprus problem unless we ourselves push in that direction.