Speech by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou Ledra Palace Forum

 

 

SUBJECT: The need for efficient initiatives aiming to break the prolonged deadlock in the Cyprus problem

26 June 2024, Ledra Palace Forum, Nicosia
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Seven years will now have passed since the collapse of the Conference on Cyprus at Crans Montana in June-July 2017. This is preceded by the many decades that we are now unfortunately counting since the division by force of our country and separation of our people. A division which, despite the efforts made from time to time, has not been able to be reversed so that all the people of this land, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, can enjoy in our homeland conditions of normality, stability, real security, prosperity and respect for human rights.

I will not review the past, even though it can, when approached correctly, show the path and the way forward so we can fulfill the goal of a comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem. Against the backdrop of the ongoing stalemate that has existed for seven years now, the need to break the deadlock on the Cyprus problem is urgent. It is our duty to work for the resumption of substantive negotiations, as the UN Secretary General has also explicitly stated in the previous Reports he has submitted to the UN Security Council.

The barren fruitless passage of time does not serve anyone’s well-intentioned interests. On the contrary, it further consolidates an uncertain and dangerous status quo, perpetuating the de facto partition with unpredictable consequences for all, insecurity and the absence of a promising future for the two communities on our island. Furthermore, given that we must draw lessons from what is happening outside Cyprus, the situation in the Middle East and the war raging in the Gaza Strip highlight a reality that we as AKEL have been repeating for years. That is to say, how artificial and how vulnerable the situation is in which we are living right here in Cyprus. They point out that compromising with the de facto division cannot be a solution. Securing lasting peace demands a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem.

Dear friends,

As I have already mentioned, we have today chosen not to discuss the responsibilities – which do exist – for the current impasse on the Cyprus problem, but rather the ways in which we can put the Cyprus problem back on the tracks of negotiation and an agreed solution. It is well known that AKEL rejects policies for a two-state solution. AKEL also rejects the demand for recognition of ‘sovereign equality’ and an equal international status for negotiations to resume.

Such claims were made in the past and were categorically rejected by previous Secretary Generals of the United Nations because they were outside the agreed framework of a Bizonal, Bicommunal Federal solution with political equality. This framework constitutes the only realistic point of convergence for a solution to the Cyprus problem, is based on the respect for international law and can serve the well-intentioned interests, sensitivities and just demands of the Cypriot people as a whole.

Bearing in mind the situation surrounding the Cyprus problem and the need to break the deadlock, AKEL has submitted a proposal to the National Council that includes four pillars on how the Greek Cypriot side should proceed:

1. The first pillar of our proposal concerns the consistency that must be shown with regards the solution of Bizonal, Bicommunal Federation with political equality, as outlined in the relevant Resolutions of the United Nations.
2. The second pillar is the consistent acceptance of the Guterres Framework and the convergences that have been recorded up to the end of the 2017 Conference on Cyprus, including the convergences on the content of political equality, the rotating presidency with cross and weighted voting, and at least a single positive Turkish Cypriot vote on all the decisions of the Council of Ministers. This, after all, was the position of the Secretary General of the UN himself after Crans Montana, which was reiterated in several Reports he had submitted. The argument that the Guterres Framework is up for negotiation and therefore it is not unreasonable to seek changes to it is wrong since only the outstanding issues of the Framework are open for negotiation, not the agreed ones.
3. The third pillar is the adoption of a positive agenda that cannot be confined only to EU-Turkish issues. These alone cannot represent the catalyst for creating the preconditions for a resumption and successful conclusion of the negotiation procedure. As AKEL, we propose the provision of incentives within the framework of a positive agenda towards Turkey in relation to the energy sector that will apply after the solution of the Cyprus problem. What Turkey is most interested in is the energy sector, which is confirmed by the repeated statements made by both Turkish President Mr. Erdogan and the Turkish Foreign Minister Mr. Fidan. At the same time, our proposal addressed to our Turkish Cypriot compatriots envisages that after a strategic agreement is concluded, a bicommunal committee on energy will be established.
4. The fourth pillar of our proposals concerns the adoption of unilateral confidence-building measures towards the Turkish Cypriots. Long before Mr. Christodoulides’ measures were announced in public, AKEL had submitted a comprehensive list of proposals, some of which have been adopted. At the same time, we continue to assert both the immediate implementation of all the proposals that have been announced and a more holistic approach to effectively address long-standing problems our Turkish Cypriot compatriots face.

We have also submitted these proposals to the personal envoy on Cyprus of the UN Secretary General Mrs. Maria Angela Holguin, explaining that they can yield results if all sides demonstrate the necessary political will. If the Turkish side abandons the position of a two state solution, which is essentially a ‘non-starter’, if the two communities adopt without footnotes the Guterres Framework, the Secretary General’s mechanism for the implementation of the solution and the entire negotiating acquis [body of work], we can subsequently reach a strategic agreement within a very short period of time. Then the path towards a comprehensive solution will be virtually irreversible.

I will not hide from you that we as AKEL are concerned, because so far, the effort to find a common ground for the resumption of direct talks seems to be failing. And the danger of the termination of the mission of Mr. Guterres’ personal envoy on Cyprus is visible. Is this a development that serves our people? This is what should be the first and foremost concern of the two leaders. But also, for us all political parties who are called upon to serve this land, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, the future generations who deserve to live in peace, security and prosperity.

We do not claim that what we are proposing is the magic formula for a solution to the Cyprus problem, because primarily Turkey’s stand remains unpredictable. However, we know that the initiatives we are proposing may test the prospects of the procedure. A negotiation procedure with the agreed solution, a comprehensive, viable and just solution, on the horizon within a short period of time.