A solution to the Cyprus problem could be a win-win situation for all parties involved, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said, adding that the possibility of this would be high if there is political will.
In a recent interview with Aljazeera, Kasoulides also stressed that the Greek Cypriot side remains committed to the reunification of the country and referred to the recent agreement between Lebanon and Israel, saying that Lebanese and Israelis would never have had this agreement without US involvement, calling on the international community to do the same for Cyprus.
Asked about the recent agreement reached between Lebanon and Israel to establish an Israeli-Lebanese maritime border,[/B] he described it as an extremely helpful development, noting that the Cyprus EEZ is adjacent to theirs.
Secondly, he highlighted the fact that two countries, such as Lebanon and Israel, which are officially in a state of war and which do not recognize each other, managed, with the mediation of the United States, to reach an agreement.
This, Kasoulides said, "is a very good example for us and Turkey" and stressed that "Turkey has so far refused to do a similar kind of negotiation and settlement on the delimitation of the EEZ under the excuse that they do not recognize us. But here is an example that this can be done without solving the political problem for them to recognize us."
"So, we proposed talks, and if those talks fail, let's go to The Hague and we are ready to accept the arbitration of The Hague. The next priority is the gas needs of our EU partners and this must be done before other considerations and this applies to Turkey as well as to ourselves."
He stressed that all problems find solutions and solutions will be found for our problems as well, adding that "our side remains committed to the reunification of the country. He noted that the Lebanese and the Israelis would never have had this agreement without US involvement, saying that we need some help from the international community and especially from countries that can work with Turkey.
Asked to clarify what kind of help he meant, Kasoulides said "diplomatic certainly."
Asked if he thought the EU should do more, he said there was room for more.
"I can imagine a solution that would be a win-win situation for all parties involved, the two communities in Cyprus, Turkey, Greece and I think there is a great possibility for that if there is political will."
Kasoulides said that at that time we had come so close and noted that all we needed was to be invited back in a few weeks to pick up where we left off
It was a great opportunity, he noted, saying that if there had been a follow-up in the immediate period after those talks it would have yielded results.
But he noted that after that the Turkish position changed 180 degrees and they stopped seeking a settlement based on UN resolutions by making it a condition for the Greek Cypriot side to accept separate sovereignty and equal international status, describing this condition as totally unacceptable.
On Cyprus' energy reserves, he said that "we are optimistic that in the medium term, i.e. in two years, if Europe urgently needs natural gas, we will be able to supply and contribute".
On the situation in Ukraine, the minister said Nicosia was very sensitive to the issues of territorial integrity, sovereignty and not annexing parts of one country to another, so it had to engage with its European partners in responding to the Russian invasion.
"We want to be recognised - and we are - as a reliable, predictable EU partner," he said, adding that Cyprus had participated in the unanimous decisions on sanctions and was diligently implementing them. He also pointed out that Cyprus had to go a long way to reach this goal much further than any other partner that did not already have the ties that Cyprus had with Russia.
In response to other questions, he clarified that Cyprus did not intend to send weapons to Ukraine since "we need them here in Cyprus."
Asked what weapons Cyprus will acquire from the US after the embargo is lifted, Kasoulides said that this is a question for the Defence Ministry but said that they now have US markets as well as other markets such as France, Israel.
In response to a reporter's comment that the Turks are saying that the lifting of the arms embargo is a very worrying development, the Foreign Minister replied "Are they so afraid of us? Shame on them. A country so big and important, they say it is a great regional power, and for a few weapons we will buy... I think they are looking for an excuse."
Source: CNA
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