Statements by the General Secretary of AKEL A.Kyprianou after the National Council session to brief parties on the Cyprus problem
11th November 2020, Cyprus News Agency (CNA)
The President of the Republic has briefed us about the content of his last contacts on the Cyprus problem and the political parties subsequently put forth their own views and approaches.
AKEL’s position is that things are extremely difficult and dangerous. Turkey is escalating its aggression on every level, both in the Exclusive Economic Zone and on the issue of Famagusta and is trying to create new fait accompli on the ground which, provided they are allowed to evolve, will create such conditions that would render unimaginably difficult, not to mention that they will bury any prospect of a solution to the Cyprus problem.
So how the Greek Cypriot side will act in the near future is extremely important. And the appeal that we as AKEL addresses to everyone, is that the correct lessons must be drawn from the past of the Cyprus problem and especially from the recent past.
Let us not waste time engaging in sloganeering, instead but try to bring about such conditions that will allow the resumption of substantive negotiations within the agreed framework. Our goal must with consistency and perseverance to attempt to convince of the correctness of the positions we are expressing.
Justice is on our side given that it is Turkey that has invaded and is illegally occupying a large part of the Republic of Cyprus.
Aware of the realities that exist on the ground and what the situation is among the international community, we must seek the resumption of negotiations with the aim of resolving the Cyprus problem on an agreed basis.
The Resolutions of the UN Security Council on the Cyprus problem are clear, they cannot be questioned.
For the basis for a solution to the Cyprus problem to change, there must be consultation between the parties involved, the issue must be raised to the Security Council and a change of the basis of the solution must be demanded.
Since this is not expected to happen, the basis for a solution remains the one provided for in the relevant Resolutions of the United Nations, that is to say the solution of bi-zonal bi-communal federation.
It would be a catastrophe and a disaster, if the Greek Cypriot side were to raise the issue of changing this base and I am not saying that Mr. Anastasiades has said such a thing, let me just clarify that. However, certain political parties are proposing this.
If we were to raise such a thing, the only thing we will achieve will be to make it easier for Turkey to demand that any discussion should take place on the basis of partition, something that will be catastrophic for Cyprus. We have expressed our views to Mr. Anastasiades.
AKEL clarifies that if the President of the Republic moves in the correct direction with persistence and consistency to core longstanding positions of the National Council, AKEL will be ready and will support the procedure.
