Interview to “ASTRA” radio station of Toumazos Tsielepis, member of the Political Bureau of the C.C. of AKEL and Head of the Cyprus Problem Office of AKEL, International Law expert
28th February 2018
We’ve been talking for some days now with representatives of political parties. What do you think about the developments and what will happen from now on? Everyone wants an answer to the question “what do we do now?”…
TT: What we have to do from now onwards – if we don’t want the crisis to continue to deteriorate any further – is to make an effort to de-escalate this crisis because only when there is a de-escalation can we at least try to resume the negotiation procedure to solve the Cyprus problem, because that’s the source of all the bad developments. If we don’t solve the Cyprus problem, we will be finding Turkey constantly before us.
You have said it many times and indeed that it is difficult to make use of our natural wealth with the Cyprus problem unresolved. But how do we defuse this tension given that that the factor creating this tension is Turkey itself and other forces are placating it. The President says “I have sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General” and states that “I am ready for negotiations”. Mr. Akinci isn’t saying anything. So how will we manage to move forward?
- First of all, as you understand, how the crisis is defused doesn’t depend only on us. It depends first and foremost on Turkey itself, which has created this crisis. The drilling rig has already left. Unfortunately, because of Turkey’s stand there couldn’t have been a different development. Logically, we should expect that the NAVTEX will end on March 10 or at least it will not be renewed.
In the meantime, I repeat, systematic efforts must be made to resume the negotiation procedure. Yes, the President sent a letter to the UN Secretary General and rightly so. It seems, however, that the Secretary-General isn’t convinced somewhat. He considers that the two sides must take concrete steps. The steps that should be taken are well-known, I won’t repeat them. The UN Secretary-General seems to be somewhat unconvinced that either side is ready to move forward.
We must and ought to assume our share of responsibility and this means that the President of the Republic must declare his readiness to proceed in the way the UN Secretary-General asks. In that case the onus will be on the other side which will probably follow suit. But if it doesn’t do so, it will be the one that will be bear the sole responsibility. The conditions will be reversed and the impression that already exists at the moment both in the United Nations and internationally will be reversed; an impression that the Greek Cypriot side in all probability is to blame for the fact that the Cyprus problem has not progressed. I am not examining whether this impression is fair or unfair. What matters is that this is the case. This is also apparent from the last two Reports submitted by the UN Secretary-General and this impression must definitely be reversed because it is directly related to the developments taking place
Yesterday we heard some information about Mr. Akinci’s meeting with the UNSG’s Special Representative in Cyprus Elizabeth Spehar and that Mr. Akinci has also set some conditions to return to the negotiating table. For example, he seems to have reiterated that he wants a joint committee on natural gas issues. We have heard Mr. Ozersay say that they (the Turkish Cypriot side) can even promote a separate bilateral agreement on the EEZ. What are your comments and do all these developments help the situation?
TT: They certainly do not help the situation. On the contrary, oil is poured on the fire as you understand. The demand for a joint committee is not new. The Turkish Cypriot side has been putting it forth for years. It projected it with particular intensity during Eroglou’s period. We didn’t accept this demand, but we took care, moved on and reached a convergence on this issue, namely the well-known Christofias-Talat convergences that resolves the natural gas issue with the solution of the Cyprus problem. This was our range to proceed with a successful drilling in the “Aphrodite” Block and so that Turkey wouldn’t be able to react.
I have to say that Mr. Ozersay was the one with whom we had agreed to that convergence and I really regret his current stand. Of course at some point, precisely because we didn’t agree to proceed to the establishment of a joint committee, they have proceeded to define a continental shelf as they had stated only in the northern part of the island. Now we hear from Mr. Ozersay that they may go ahead with a demarcation of an Exclusive Economic Zone. You understand that such an agreement, like the previous one, would not be worth the paper on which it is written, but it does creates incredible complications. I reiterate that the only way to get out of this situation is that they too should focus on the solution of the Cyprus problem, and not set terms and preconditions as they are indeed doing.
Taking these facts as you have described them in mind and given that Turkey is here and provoking, would you like to say something that could be done tomorrow? Let’s say, the President of the Republic to do something so that the crisis can be defused or is there something that we can’t say in public?
TT: It makes no sense to talk publicly, given that we do not know the intentions of the President of the Republic himself. However, I think that what we have to definitely do is what I said before. That is, the President of the Republic must make it absolutely clear to the Secretary-General of the United Nations that the Greek Cypriot side is ready to proceed as he himself asks.
You mean he should say something specific to him;
TT: For sure. I believe that if this is done, the most likely development is that we will be able to resume the negotiation procedure. But I repeat that even if we don’t manage to reverse the current conditions which are depressing to the detriment of the Greek Cypriot side, I believe that’s precisely what the President of the Republic must do.
Where do you think we’ll be heading towards and how you see the future?
TT I cannot predict exactly where we are heading towards. The only thing that is certain is that if we follow a different path other than the one I have just described to you – that is if we are thinking about abandoning (the efforts to solve) the Cyprus problem, I say if, and to proceed with the natural gas issue, so we can become rich. You understand that there is no way this approach will yield to any positive results.
The President says “I want to go to the negotiating table”
TT: I’m not referring to the President.
Are you referring to the Turkish Cypriot side?
TT: I’m referring to the Turkish Cypriot side too, as well as to certain circles and forces in the Greek Cypriot side. For example, the Archbishop, who is delighted with the policy being pursued by the President of the Republic. He is a well-known devotee of partition. This is what he says. Partition as you understand means over 60% of the coastline remains on the other side, the EEZ is also lost.
It is for all these reasons that I must repeat that attention must be focused on the immediate de-escalation of the crisis and the continuation of the talks from where they had remained.
As for the argument that we go (to talks) with a gun to our head, we don’t go with a gun at our head. We have a safeguard and this safeguard is that the talks must be continued from where they were left. This is the position of the UN Secretary-General and that means Turkey cannot put the gun at our head.
As far as Turkey’s own obligations are concerned, it knows what it has to do. Turkey must end the guarantees, the intervention rights, the troops have to withdraw exactly as the UN Secretary-General calls for in his framework.
Are you optimistic that, let’s say, tomorrow the talks will resume from where they had remained, bearing in mind the whole situation as it has evolved;
TT: No, I’m not at all optimistic, especially from Mont Peleran 1 and onwards. I am not at all optimistic and I have many questions as well…
Would you like to refer to such one action?
TT: It’s what I’ve told you. Namely, to focus on the solution of the Cyprus problem, otherwise our minds are focused on somewhere else.
