TRNC News 9th May 2016 - Ozgurgun: As government we support negotiations of President and Turkey

Özgürgün: “As government we support the on-going negotiation process between the President and Turkey”

In his speech to the Turkish News Agency Cyprus (TAK), Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün said: “As the government we support the on-going negotiation process between President Mustafa Akıncı and Turkey. Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu and his team support the President at every stage of the negotiations. As the government our greatest wish is to conclude the Cyprus issue with an agreement by the end of 2016, of course if South Cyprus has a good will.”

Responding to the question about how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take place at the negotiating table, Özgürgün stated that the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be at the table as in the past, The Foreign Minister will not be at the table himself because the Greek Cypriot side has not accepted it for many years. On the other hand, Özgürgün expressed that the negotiation process might be more beneficial and healthy if the Foreign Ministers of the two sides took part at the negotiating table.

Denktaş: “Deadlock of the negotiations is out of the question”

The Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Serdar Denktaş said that deadlock of the negotiation process is out of the question.

Making a statement to the Greek Cypriot daily Kathimerini newspaper, Serdar Denktaş mentioned the settlement, new citizenships and other issues.

As an answer to the question regarding the concerns of both the Greek and the Turkish Cypriot societies about the negative impact of the new Özgürgün – Denktaş coalition government on the negotiation process, Denktaş stated that the deadlock of the negotiation process is out of the question.

Denktaş also stated that the Turkish Cypriot side attends the negotiation process by showing excessive good intention however the Greek Cypriot side does not have the same good intention.

Denktaş also stated that there would not be a crisis in their relationship with the President.

The US bi-monthly reports on Cyprus emphasized a bi-communal bi-zonal federation

The US President Barack Obama indicated in the bi-monthly report on the Cyprus problem that “The United States is committed to finding a just and lasting settlement reunifying Cyprus as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation”

The new bi-monthly report on Cyprus to the Congress, by President Barack Obama, focused on the “historic” visit of Secretary of State John Kerry to the island last December and the meetings which were held by Vice President Joe Biden regarding the Cyprus problem in Geneva and İstanbul.

The report covers the months of December and January and has been prepared since 2004 by the Department of State.

“The United States is committed to finding a just and lasting settlement reunifying Cyprus as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation” said on the report.

Regarding the “historic” visit of the Secretary of State John Kerry, the report said that it was the first by a US Secretary of State in nearly 20 years, and during the visit the US official delivered remarks reinforcing the United States` commitment to Cyprus and emphasizing the US support for a just and lasting settlement.

Concerning the meeting of Vice President Joe Biden with the leaders, the report emphasized the leaders’ efforts to reach a solution in the UN-facilitated settlement process.

The bi-monthly report also mentioned the meeting of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon which was held with both Leaders on January 21st, on the margins of the World Economic Forum.