The prospects for resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus problem are limited, says the President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, in an interview with "Phileleftheros" and the Athens-based "Vima", published on Sunday, expressing discontent because in his recent report the UN Secretary General, while considering the appointment of an envoy as an important parameter in the efforts to find common ground for the resumption of talks, does not mention the side that backed down on this issue.
With the positions and preconditions set, the terms of reference that Ersin Tatar's envoy is demanding, the Turkish side's attempt for recognition of the two states in any way, before the negotiations even begin, the prospects are unfortunately limited, President Anastasiades added.
Despite the recognition of the risks of prolonging the stalemate, the President said, the security lines of the Greek Cypriot side should be taken into account, which are none other than the preservation of the Republic of Cyprus as an internationally recognised and sovereign EU member state. The preservation of the state entity is the only one that allows us to continue the struggle to overthrow Turkey's aspirations, he said, making use of international steps, the institutions of Europe and the bilateral and multilateral cooperation that we are developing with a number of countries.
President Anastasiadesreiterated the proposal submitted by the Greek side in Crans-Montana and the agreement to "drastically reduce all foreign troops" from the first day of the implementation of the solution, as well as the immediate abolition of Turkey's unilateral right to intervene and the definitive abolition of the entire system of guarantees within a reasonable period of time, which the Secretary-General described as anachronistic. His proposals for the effective participation of the TCs and the structure of the central government, he said, were sufficiently creative as the UN Secretary General had said in his report at the time.
President Anastasiades, referring to the informal five-party meeting in Geneva last April, said that the idea of withdrawing from the discussion table chaired by the UN Secretary General is not the answer nor is it considered the wisest. We stayed, defended our positions and exposed the Turkish side at the UN headquarters in Geneva, where it attempted to send all the resolutions concerning Cyprus to the dustbin, he noted.
The release of the Crann Montana minutes, he said, revealed not only the reasons for the shipwreck, but also refuted the narratives of several who attributed to the Greek side, to me, the responsibility for the collapse of the whole project.
On the East Med pipeline,[/B] he said it was still at the study stage, just as other options are being studied by the EU. Its implementation, he added, depends mainly on its economic viability.
President Anastasiades said about the trilateral cooperation that it enhances the role of the Republic of Cyprus and spoke of Turkey's revisionist attitude, which is not only manifested in the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus, not only questioning Greece's sovereign rights in the Aegean, but extending to questioning the sovereignty of states such as Syria, Libya, Iraq, Armenia and elsewhere.
On the EU sanctions against Turkey, he said that they were not an end in themselves. Despite the difficulties and problems we face, he added, Cyprus' status as an EU member state and the rights deriving from it allow in time to prevent Turkey's vital claims in its relationship with the EU.
Asked whether for the presidential elections he would give a ring and to whom, President Anastasiades replied that "rings are handed over by kings. I rule and I will continue to do so until the last day of my term, bearing in mind that there is still much to be done, especially on the major reforms that are a strategic objective of my governance."
Source: CNA
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