Excerpt from a speech by Aristos Damianou, member of the Political Bureau of AKEL at an AKEL political meeting in Britain
14 October 2025, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia
It is a fact that there has been movement registered on the Cyprus problem recently. This is because, as is well known, after the failure at Crans-Montana, for which the UN blamed the Greek Cypriot side (which is tragic because we are the victims of occupation), there has been a prolonged impasse.
What is needed today is to create the conditions for the start of substantive negotiations on the basis of the Guterres framework and making full use of the negotiating acquis. Without overlooking the obvious, that the key to the solution lies in Ankara, which remains provocative, the upcoming vote in the occupied territories, which will elect the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, may create more positive prospects. This is because the forces of partition will be pitted against the forces for the solution. This is because the history of Cyprus reminds us that whenever the Turkish Cypriot community was led by a leader who believed in a federation, who believed in the joint management of our bi-communal state through the transformation of the de facto partitioned state into a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, we recorded progress on the Cyprus problem. The volume of convergences agreed is the result of the Christofias-Talat talks, I would remind you. Akinci acted similarly to get us to Crans-Montana.
Furthermore, it is tragic that Mr. Anastasiades did not test Turkey to the end. That is precisely why President Christodoulides, who served alongside former President Anastasiades, must say and mean that he is ready to negotiate on the basis of the UN Secretary-General’s framework and the negotiating acquis. If he does so, we, AKEL, as a patriotic party, as a responsible party, will support the effort. If not, then he will find us opposed to him. May the President move in the right direction on the Cyprus problem, and AKEL will be there (offering its support).
14.10.2025
