"I bear the burden because I am completing my term of office in the presidency without having achieved the most important goal I had set, The resolution of the Cyprus problem", President Nicos Anastasiades notes in an interview with the Greek newspaper TA NEA and journalist Alexandra Fotaki.
But he stresses that he is leaving with his conscience at ease, at least as far as internal governance is concerned. "We handed over a state in bankruptcy and we are handing over an economically prosperous country with growth rates of 6% this year. With an unemployment rate below 7%, with significant reforms in most sectors. So whoever is elected, I hope he will continue with the same strict fiscal policy with social policy sensitivities."
Mr. Anastasiades notes that he made superhuman efforts and managed to record significant progress with the then leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mustafa Akinci, and adds that the interventions of Ankara and its insistence on the continuation of guarantees, the permanent presence of a Turkish contingent, was something that unfortunately led to the last effort made in Crans Montana being a wreck.
In response to a question about the criticism from the opposition for his handling of the Cyprus problem, Anastasiades noted that this criticism is due to a narrative adopted by some as projected by Mr. Aide, the then envoy of the Secretary-General.
"But subsequently the release of the transcripts contradicted all those who claimed otherwise. It was the repeated testimonies of the negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis, who is currently a candidate of AKEL, who not once but in many interviews has completely refuted the narrative adopted by the opposition at the time, that I had abandoned the negotiating table", President Anastasiades notes.
He adds that "for the sake of history, for your information, the Secretary General had spent very few hours on such a critical problem. The day after the dinner, i.e. on 7/6/2017 he should have been in Hamburg at the G20 Summit and therefore what one would expect, instead of interrupting, postponing and asking for a continuation of the dialogue, we had come so close. There has been a systematic attempt on the part of Turkey to avoid any new dialogue. Subsequently there have been countless attempts to resume negotiations. Unfortunately, however, in order to achieve Turkey's strategic objective, as it has been outlined since 1956 i.e. that it should at least control a part of Cyprus, or control the new state of affairs, it did not allow us to achieve the desired reunification of our homeland on the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation".
At the same time, Nicos Anastasiades noted his concern about the current situation and especially about what is happening in Famagusta.
He also expresses the view that Turkey's efforts are currently focused on the recognition of the occupied territories as it wants there to be dependent recognized states, but gradually the occupied territories are being integrated in the sense of full control, administration exercised by Ankara, either through Mr. Oktay who is in charge of projects and policies, or through the ambassador of Turkey, who has the first say on any decision by the Turkish Cypriot leadership.
Regarding the developments in Ukraine and how they affect the Cyprus problem, Mr. Anastasiades notes that it is unthinkable for the international community to remember the values of the UN Charter and the EU on the one hand and on the other hand to ignore the fact that a member state has been under occupation for the last 50 years. At the same time, he stressed that during his visits to France and Germany he had raised this issue and expressed the view that Ukraine had also brought to the surface an existing long-standing problem with the same characteristics. That is, the invasion and occupation of the territory of another sovereign country.
Regarding the latest statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Greece, President Anastasiades noted that this is another example of revisionism that has taken over the Turkish President and that demonstrates intentions towards those who question the determination and will of the Greek Cypriot side to find a solution to the Cyprus problem. "It is the preparation of a climate that wants to put Turkey in a position where any of its aggressive actions can be interpreted as a matter of defence or defence of its rights under international law, not the actual law, but as interpreted through Turkey's revisionist policy," it says.
Furthermore, Anastasiades notes that the energy crisis could become a catalyst for the Cyprus problem if a well-meaning interlocutor could be a catalyst for positive developments. "We have stated this repeatedly. If Turkey respects international law then there is no reason why it should not be considered part of the alliance. Let me remind you that the EMGF has been created which includes eight countries, including France and the US as observers. It would not bother us as a peaceful country that respects international law if Turkey were to participate. We are not operating with the logic of exclusion but with the logic of creating conditions of stability and exploiting the region's energy resources so that we can become a pillar of stability instead of an area of unrest," he said.
Responding on the candidacy of three of his colleagues for the presidency of the Republic and whether he believes that there will be divergences in policy on the Cyprus problem, President Anastasiades noted that the policies of Mr. Averof Neophytou do not differ from his own, nor those of Mr. Mavroyiannis on the Cyprus problem. "The personal choice of Nikos Christodoulides is no different. What is the problem with Mr. Christodoulides? The fact that the parties that support him have such contradictory positions, so I wonder how they can function without the risk of dissolving a government when the time comes to make decisions on the Cyprus problem."
Finally, with regard to the archbishop elections, President Anastasiades stresses that the government is monitoring developments remotely. "I believe that there should be a separation between the state and the church. In the sense that yes, the views of the national church are respected - I am speaking historically - but we are now talking about times when opinion is both permissible and desirable, but influence and interference are completely unacceptable," he says.
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