Turkey’s verbal declarations that it wants a solution will be tested in practice

 

Statement of Stavri Kalopsidiotou, member of the C.C. of AKEL and the Cyprus Affairs Department of the C.C.

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 29th January 2016, Nicosia

Yesterday’s United Nations Security Council resolution renewing the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is on the whole balanced. Without differing substantially from the previous resolution, it adopts the proposal of the UN Secretary-General to increase the force of UNFICYP, given the increased needs at a support level which has been created by the ongoing peace process.

More specifically, we point to the reaffirmation of the previous resolutions of the UN Security Council, including Resolution 1251 (1999) and 2026 (2011).We do so given that, in this way, the UN Security Council recalls the need to respect International Law and the agreed principles of the solution of the Cyprus problem, such as demilitarization and a single sovereignty, a single international personality and a single citizenship.

Both in the declaratory, as well as the operative part of the resolution, the climate of cautious optimism is reflected which has arisen with the intensification of negotiations, that is also prevalent in the two recent reports of the UN Secretary General.

As AKEL, we continue to note that the two leaders must overcome speedily the indecision being observed today on the property issue, always respecting the rights of the lawful owners. The property issue is a crucial chapter for the solution of the Cyprus problem, given that if we are within range of an agreement on this chapter we will be able to enter into negotiations also on the pending chapters – that is to say, the territorial issue, the issues with regards security and guarantees. These chapters are in effect the ones where Turkey’s verbal declarations that it wants a solution of the Cyprus problem will be tested in practice.