TRNC News Today 13th

February 2014

ERDOĞAN: “PROCESS LAUNCHED ABOUT THE CYPRUS ISSUE HAS SPARKED POSITIVE IMPACT IN THE WORLD”

Republic of Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said: “The process launched about the Cyprus issue has really sparked a positive impact throughout the world and an agreement has been reached on the joint statement between South and North.

We hope the negotiations continue within the determined direction and we come to an end. Thus we will quickly overcome this problem which has been continuing for years.”

EU MINISTER AND CHIEF NEGOTIATOR ÇAVUŞOĞLU: “OUR HOPES HAVE RISEN AGAIN”

TR EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said: “We are a step ahead of everyone in the Cyprus issue as usual, and as Turkey we give more support than everyone, we are supporters. Our hopes have risen again.”

Pointing out that there have been important developments in the Cyprus issue, Çavuşoğlu said: “Although the Cyprus issue is a de facto state in the EU process and it is on the table as an obstacle, we do not want a solution in Cyprus only for our EU process. We would like Cyprus to be a island of peace. We would like to have a permanent solution and peace.”

DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: “NEGOTIATIONS ARE THE BEGINNING OF A PATH THAT SHOULD REUNITE CYPRUS WITHIN THE EU”

Danish Foreign Minister, Martin Lidegaard indicated that he welcomed the decision to re-launch negotiations in Cyprus and recorded that negotiations were the beginning of a path that should reunite Cyprus within the EU.

In a written statement Lidegaard pointed out that the division of Cyprus is entering its fifth decade with negative consequences for all Cypriots as well as for regional stability and co-operation. Lidegaard added: “Almost 50 years have passed since the establishment of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus in 1964. Denmark was among the first handful of countries that deployed peacekeepers and more than 22.000 Danish soldiers served in Cyprus over the years. Therefore it is also a gratifying day for Denmark.”

DIKO IS READY TO WITHDRAW FROM THE COALITION

It has been announced that DIKO is ready to withdraw from the Anastasiades’ government, and this could happen within a few days.

According to the news of Greek Cypriot daily Simerini, the DIKO’s party bodies which are newly formed will convene in the upcoming days (probably on Friday or Monday) and will discuss the developments in the Cyprus problem under the light of agreement concerning the text of the joint statement. Discussion of the subject whether DIKO will stay in the coalition or not is also expected.

A source from DIKO explained to the newspaper that while taking the decision, they will take the impacts of the joint statement agreement on the process of national cause and the general national interests as a criterion.

IN ORDER TO PERSUADE DIKO ALIGNMENTS, ANASTASIADES COMMENTED ON THE JOINT STATEMENT IN A LETTER SENT TO PAPADOPULOS

According to the Greek Cypriot newspaper Politis, Anastasiades has sent a letter to the leader of DIKO, Papadopoulos in order to confute his arguments concerning the negative points in the text of the joint statement by replying to every article separately.