In a speech at the 38th Annual General Assembly of the Union of Municipalities, the President wished for reunification conditions, noting that the burden of the occupation "no longer concerns not only the Greek Cypriots but also the Turkish Cypriots", in an indirect reference to the impact on the occupied territories of the continuing slide of the Turkish lira's exchange rate.
He said Turkey's claims for recognition of the sovereignty and sovereign equality of the occupied territories before the start of the dialogue "are neither conditions nor preconditions for creating the conditions for a dialogue".
"What I have recommended to both the European Council and the Secretary General is that the time has come if we want to create the conditions to move forward with some significant confidence-building measures (CBMs) that will begin to restore the climate of mistrust," he added.
These measures, as he explained, are none other than placing the administration or protection of the status of the Famagusta enclave under the administration of the United Nations, in exchange, yes, for placing the Tympos airport under UN administration as long as the international regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) are respected, the protection of the FIR, the reopening of the port of Famagusta with EU supervision of customs and tariffs, and Turkey allowing Cypriot ships to approach Turkish ports.
With regard to natural gas, the President of the Republic said that what is needed is not any more than the convergences, than the proposals that are translated into legislation such as the National Hydrocarbons Fund, as was the proposal to open a trust account and deposit it when and if there are revenues in proportion to the population for the benefit of the TCs.
He added that if Turkey recognizes the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus, the TCs will have the right to draw funds from this account even before the settlement of the Cyprus problem.
"These are measures that will help to create a different climate", President Anastasiades said, stressing that "at the same time, the TC community and Turkey in particular, which is guiding the current TC administration, should realize that it has not interfered with the previous ones, putting obstacles in the negotiation to adapt to the basis of the Cyprus settlement as reflected in the High Level Agreements and the UN resolutions."
Source: CNA
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