TRNC News Today 9th October 2014

Eide: “At the moment I cannot say anything about how the negotiations will resume”

Speaking following his meeting with President Eroğlu, UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor to Cyprus Espen Barth Eide stated yesterday that there is nothing concrete on how the Greek Cypriot side will return back to the negotiation table.

Eide stated that the essence of the negotiations and the mobility in the sea which caused withdrawal of Greek Cypriot administration from the negotiations were discussed in the meetings held with Anastasiades and with Eroğlu, and added that he tried to encourage the leaders for finding a recipe for overcoming the problems.

Stating that both leaders expressed many times that the status quo is not sustainable, Eide said “Status quo is really dangerous and is not sustainable. It can go from bad to worse. In order to prevent this, progress in core issues should be achieved”.

Eide added “Natural gas and oil could be a blessing or curse. It could be a blessing for all Cypriots if a federal solution based on political equality, bi-zonality is reached, if not it could be a curse as it will create more tension”.

President Eroğlu : “Greek Cypriot side who rejected all past convergences before is now playing for time by using the hydrocarbon issue as an excuse”

President Eroğlu said the Greek Cypriot side has been playing for time for almost fifty years and added that they continued finding excuses; last year by rejecting the convergences reached and now by using the hydrocarbon issue.

Answering a question after a meeting yesterday, President Eroğlu evaluated the latest stage reached at the Cyprus negotiations and said that the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades and the Greek Cypriot political parties made a great mistake with their decision to pull out of the negotiations. Eroğlu expressed the Turkish Cypriot side’s hope that the Greek Cypriot side will return to the negotiating table at once.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “It is totally unacceptable for the negotiations to be interrupted for any excuse.”

Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that it is totally unacceptable for the negotiations to be interrupted for any excuse.

In a written statement Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “It has come to our attention through its statement that the Greek Cypriot leadership has unilaterally suspended the comprehensive settlement negotiations.

It is totally unacceptable for the negotiations, which have been ongoing for nearly 50 years with a view to finding a just and viable solution on the Island, to be interrupted for any excuse. Such an approach is in complete contradiction with the expectations of the two peoples on the Island and the international community to find a solution in the shortest possible time, as well as with the commitments of the two leaders to this end.

The fact that the Greek Cypriot leadership, which claims that the issue of the natural resources on and around the Island and the comprehensive settlement negotiations are two unrelated issues, has used the issue of natural resources as an excuse to suspend the negotiations constitutes a disingenuous and contradictory approach.

As is well known, it has always been the Greek Cypriot side which has rejected all our proposals towards using natural resources as a means of cooperation between the two sides on the Island and our region and which has insisted on taking unilateral steps by purporting to be the sole authority on this issue.

The positive atmosphere which arose following the Joint Declaration of 11 February 2014, was not reflected on the negotiating table due to the repeated negative steps taken by the Greek Cypriot leadership. In this connection, the fact that the Greek Cypriot leader first refrained from sitting at the negotiation table for a long time by making various excuses, then put forward the precondition of issuing a joint statement, and later continued questioning the previously reached convergences in disrespect of the Joint Declaration that was ultimately agreed upon, has prevented the process from progressing in the desired manner. At a time when it was expected that the negotiation process is revitalized by the Joint Declaration of 11 February and the appointment of the new Special Advisor on Cyprus of the UN Secretary-General, it is seriously thought-provoking that the process is unilaterally blocked with an abrupt decision of the Greek Cypriot leadership.

Given that it has been accepted by all relevant parties that the resolution of all controversial issues pertaining to the island of Cyprus depends on a comprehensive settlement, the expectation from the Greek Cypriot side is to be present at the negotiating table in a sincere and constructive way and to contribute to the emergence of reconciliation by displaying the necessary political will rather than by creating impediments to the negotiations. Our future should be established on cooperation and peace rather than tension. With this understanding, we invite the Greek Cypriot side to reconsider this severe mistake in the shortest possible time and to return to the negotiating table.”

Greek Ambassador to Ankara is summoned by the Turkish Foreign Ministry

Greek Ambassador to Ankara – Kyriakos Loukakis was summoned by the Turkish Foreign Ministry following the summoning of the Turkish Ambassador by the Greek Foreign Ministry.

Kyriakos Loukakis was given the message; ‘as a guarantor country, Greece is expected to spend effort and encourage the Greek Cypriot side for a solution without delay’.

Leader of the gang engaged in human trafficking in Greece turns out to be a Greek Cypriot

Greek Cypriot daily, Alithia reported that the leader of the gang engaged in human trafficking from Greece to Europe turned out to be a 48 year-old Greek Cypriot.

The newspaper reported that the Greek Cypriot who was arrested in Greece confessed and took responsibility of the offences concerning human trafficking.

The newspaper further reported that two arrest warrants about the Greek Cypriot had already been issued by the Greek Cypriot authorities since 2004 because of other offences.