Eide: “There is no time to lose”
The UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide has stated: “If the leaders want to reach a solution in 2016, there is no time to lose.”
In his statement to the press following his meeting with President Mustafa Akıncı, Eide said that the meeting with Akıncı was constructive.
Eide noted that the Leaders have made good progress in the negotiations, and the months of July, August and September should be used effectively.
Eide also said that he cannot give any information regarding the negotiations chapters because the process is being executed by the Leaders.
The Turkish Cypriot Negotiator Özdil Nami, along with members of the negotiation team, Presidential Spokesperson Barış Burcu and the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative Elizabeth Spehar were also present at the meeting.
Eide is leaving the island today and will return to Cyprus before the Leaders’ meeting on 22 July 2016.
Özgürgün receives a group of German students
Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün has welcomed a group of German students visiting Cyprus.
In his reception, Prime Minister Özgürgün expressed his satisfaction for hosting the German students, all of whom are between the age of 10 and 12, as guests of the Youth Department.
Mr. Özgürgün added that he wishes to see student exchanges and cooperation levels between schools continue to increase in the future.
An instructor from the delegation, Marion Dick stated that they are cooperating closely with some schools in the TRNC and that there has been a mutual exchange of students.
The students have visited many historical and touristic places during their stay in the TRNC. They will leave the island tomorrow.
Minister of Public Works and Communications Dürüst states Turkish Cypriots have been on the island since 1571
While visiting the villages of Paşaköy, Vadili and Beyarmudu, and meeting with their Mayors, the Minister of Public Works and Communications Kemal Dürüst stated that Turkish Cypriots have been on the island since 1571.
“We have never opposed a fair and lasting solution” said Minister Dürüst.
While the Minister noted that every place along the TRNC border is of particular importance, he added that the government will continue to invest into Paşaköy and Güzelyurt – as well as all other regions of the TRNC – in order to contribute to growth and development.
Atun: agreements on citizenship which make the Greek Cypriots a majority should be avoided
“Any agreement that makes the Greek Cypriots a majority and the Turkish Cypriots a minority should be avoided during the negotiations,” said Ata Atun, a member of the advisory board to Derviş Eroğlu, the former Turkish Cypriot President.
Atun argued that statements made by the Presidential Spokesperson Barış Burcu referring to “220,000 people who will become citizens of the Federal Republic of Cyprus” did not comply with official census results from the State Planning Organization (DPÖ) in 2011.
“The population in 2011 was 286,257. The population now is presumably around 296,000. If that is so, what will happen to the citizenship of the remaining 76,000 people?”
Atun also asked why more than 300,000 Turkish Cypriots living in England, as well as Turkish Cypriots who had to immigrate to Turkey after the Treaty of Lausanne and due to the EOKA attacks in 1955, were not included in these numbers.
Atun believes that any agreement based on a ratio of 4 Greek Cypriots : 1 Turkish Cypriot, as the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades proposed, or 220,000 TRNC citizens : 802,000 Greek Cypriot citizens, as Presidential Spokesperson Barıs Burcu mentioned, is unacceptable.
Source: TRNC Public Information Office –
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