Cyprus: breaking the deadlock in search for regional peace
5th Mediterranean Conference of the Party of the European Left
9-11 June 2023
Intervention by the member of the Political Bureau of AKEL Toumazos Tsielepis at the first session
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends,
Dear comrades,
Permit me to welcome you all to Cyprus and express my satisfaction as we have the opportunity to discuss the situation and the prospects for peace in our region. Of course, the challenges we face in the Eastern Mediterranean cannot be seen independently of the new dramatic conditions that have been formulated as a result of the war in Ukraine – a region that is not far from us.
The continuation of this destructive war poses enormous dangers not only for the countries directly involved, but also for the whole of humanity. It is in fact a hybrid war being waged between Russia and NATO. For AKEL, it goes without saying that an immediate end to hostilities, the withdrawal of the Russian troops from the territories of Ukraine and the beginning of peace talks on the basis of the Minsk Agreements are imperative. As long as this is not done, the dangers of humanity being dragged even into a new and manifestly final world war are enormous.
Within this environment, not only have the aggressive and illegal actions of hegemonic states against the peoples in our region not ceased, but quite the opposite is true as they have intensified. With the spotlight naturally on what is going on in Ukraine, they unfortunately feel unperturbed to continue the violation of international law and the creation of new illegal fait accompli.
We are all well aware of the dramatic situation in the Eastern Mediterranean neighbourhood. Old and open wounds such as the Palestinian and Syrian issue, the situation in Libya, Lebanon, the activities of the “Islamic State”, the Kurdish issue and the Cyprus problem are getting worse day by day. Israel’s criminal – unfortunately uncontrolled – effrontery against the Palestinians is an indicative example of the tolerance exhibited by the international community towards so-called hegemonic states that are tormenting the peoples of our region.
In the midst of our volatile regional situation in our sensitive region, the energy issue has been added with an even greater intensity – especially in the conditions of energy insecurity that are created by the war in Ukraine. The exploitation of natural gas in our understanding must primarily serve the peoples of the region, be a factor of regional cooperation and peace, on the basis of the Law of the Sea and the sovereign rights that arise for each state.
Unfortunately however, the opposite is happening. Ethnic conflict issues, religious fundamentalism, so-called democratisation and even the refugee issue are being weaponized within the framework of the energy plans of third-party powerful states and energy company giants. This is not at all accidental. According to relatively recent measurements that have been made, about a third of the world’s maritime trade and a quarter of the world’s maritime oil transport are carried out in the Eastern Mediterranean, with the value of energy reserves estimated at approximately $1.5 trillion.
Even in Cyprus too, economic, geopolitical and other interests have prevented the adoption of a politically comprehensive strategy in relation to the exploitation of natural gas – in such a way that the Cypriot people as a whole can reap the potential benefits of natural gas discovery and extraction. This is an issue which we believe must be at the heart of the policies pursued by the Republic of Cyprus and which can be connected to the very effort for a resumption of the negotiations and the solution of the Cyprus problem.
After the collapse of the Crans Montana conference on Cyprus in 2017, the UN Secretary General was constantly reiterating the need to make use of the issue of natural gas as an incentive for a solution to the Cyprus problem and to continue the talks from where they had remained. Today, in the shadow of the energy crisis that has been caused by the war and sanctions imposed on Russia, the debate surrounding the creation of new energy security formations and the exploitation of the potential that exists or can be created towards this end is particularly timely. This further puts the Eastern Mediterranean on the energy map and rekindles the interest of all states in the region to participate in the synergies that could emerge.
It would for that reason be unacceptable not to attempt to use these facts to solve the Cyprus problem. We must render the natural gas an incentive for Turkey, but also for the Turkish Cypriot community itself.
AKEL insists that the relevant proposal it had submitted to former President Anastasiades even before the crisis erupted has never been timelier and is fully in line with the UN Secretary General’s own position. This is precisely why AKEL has brought back the proposal to the current President of the Republic during the recent session of the National Council (Note: an advisory body to the given President of the Republic on the Cyprus problem composed of all the parliamentary parties and former Presidents).
In our proposal the readiness to continue the negotiation from where it had left off with the 2014 Joint Declaration, the Guterres Framework and the convergences registered. The validity of the convergences that have been recorded so far concerning political equality and the effective participation of the Turkish Cypriot community in all organs of power, including a positive Turkish Cypriot vote for any decision to be taken by the Council of Ministers, is reaffirmed with particular emphasis. Readiness is also expressed for the submission at the appropriate time of bridging proposals on the pending issues of the Guterres Framework with a view to reaching a speedy agreement on a strategic agreement.
The second part of the proposal starts with a reaffirmation of convergences recorded on the natural gas and maritime zones. In addition, the Turkish Cypriot side’s concern that the above only concerns what happens after the solution but does not answer the question of what happens before the solution is taking into account.
We therefore propose that in reaching a strategic agreement, the issue of the involvement of the Turkish Cypriots in natural gas issues be discussed, thus meeting a long-standing demand of theirs. At the same time, it is clarified that with the solution of the Cyprus problem, the already existing Hydrocarbons Fund from which no disbursements are allowed will be replaced by a Federal Hydrocarbons Fund.
Regarding the incentives for Turkey, we propose that after the solution of the Cyprus problem the Federal Republic and Turkey commence negotiations with a view to defining the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on the basis of the International Law of the Sea. Indeed we propose that, irrespective of the progress of the delimitation negotiations, once an agreement on a solution of the Cyprus problem has been reached, the Federal Republic of Cyprus and Turkey should begin talks with a view to concluding a mutually beneficial agreement on the route of a gas pipeline to Turkey, provided that a fertile ground exists from an economic and technical perspective.
In conclusion, our proposal notes that with the overall settlement of the Cyprus problem the Federal Republic of Cyprus will not raise any obstacles to Turkey’s participation in the energy plans in the region. We hope that Turkey will take these prospects into account and cooperate for a resumption of the negotiations and arrive at a solution within the agreed framework. If it does not, we will all lose in the end, including Turkey itself.
As AKEL, we consider that we have no choice but to promote initiatives such as the one I have outlined, because we are fully aware of the disastrous consequences of the continuation of the current status quo. Turkish aggression is expressed through the “Blue Homeland” doctrine, the violations of the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus within its legally defined EEZ and the illegal opening of part of the enclosed area of Varosha. Worst of all, we also note the revival of the demand for a two state solution in Cyprus.
The solution of the Cyprus problem will unquestionably be in the interest of all Cypriots, of Turkey and Greece, of the European Union itself, of the peoples of the region. It will represent a shining example of the kind of peace, coexistence between different communities, multicultural coexistence and cooperation that our region so desperately needs.
