Five-party conference update
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide has said that the second five-party conference on Cyprus concluded yesterday after two days of discussion.
Eide stated that security and guarantees were discussed at the five-party conference which took place in Mont Pèlerin, Switzerland, as part of the Cyprus talks. The conference has been taking place at the deputy and expert level.
During the two day meeting, a Turkish Cypriot working group led by Chief Negotiator Özdil Nami conducted a study with the Greek Cypriot working group that recorded the parties’ positions regarding security and guarantees.
In his statement, Eide also stated that the working group, established during the high-level meeting in Geneva on 12 January, successfully completed the mandate entrusted to it by the conference: identifying specific questions related to the issue of security and guarantees and the instruments needed to address them.
Eide stated that while the participants agreed not to disclose details about their discussions as not all of the conference proceedings have concluded, the meetings were conducted in a positive spirit.
President Mustafa Akıncı and the Greek Cypriot Leader Nikos Anastasiades are expected to meet on 26 January 2017 in the buffer zone to evaluate the latest developments in the negotiations. (BRTK)
Akıncı: “The choice of the Turkish Cypriot people regarding security should be respected”
President Mustafa Akıncı stated that the choice of the Turkish Cypriot people regarding security should be respected.
All sides should show the necessary goodwill, determination and mutual understanding to reach a solution in Cyprus, Akıncı stated.
The President stressed that it is important to be realistic and reasonable in order to reach a conclusion in the solution process:
“I always underline two important points and I reiterate them to my counterparts so that they can act according to these principles. The first one is being realistic. It is essential to be realistic in all areas, especially in terms of security and guarantees.”
“If the zero troops and zero guarantees discourse is repeated consistently, it will be blocked after a while. The Greek Cypriot side also needs to understand how the concerns of the Turkish Cypriot side can be met because the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey are considering the concerns of the Greek Cypriot side.”
“The important thing here is that the Turkish Cypriot people’s choice regarding security is respected. Adapting the 1960’s system to 2017 is possible but aiming to completely abolish it is not realistic.”
“The second point is being reasonable in demands. We expect this from our counterparts. The map which was presented to us is not a map that can be accepted by the Turkish Cypriots.”
President Akıncı also stated that the Cyprus talks are continuing in Mont Pèlerin and that they may soon continue at the Leaders’ or at the executive level with the Prime Ministers and Heads of State.
President Akıncı received Doherty
President Mustafa Akıncı received US Ambassador to South Cyprus Kathleen Doherty, Presidency Advisor for Political Affairs and History Meltem Onurkan Samani, and officials from the US Embassy were also present at the meeting.
Akıncı and Doherty discussed the latest developments in the Cyprus talks, the inauguration of the President-elect Donald Trump, and relations with the US.
Özgürgün received Kanbay
Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün received Turkish Ambassador to Lefkoşa Derya Kanbay.
Özgürgün and Kanbay discussed and exchanged views on the latest developments in the Cyprus negotiations.
Kanbay presented Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün with a memorial card containing a fragment of the collapsed marble walls of the Grand National Assembly, following the attempted coup on 15 July 2016.
Yıldırım: “Turkey’s full and effective guarantee cannot be discussed”
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım discussed the Cyprus question with members of the press at the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
Yıldırım said that Turkey’s full and effective guarantee cannot be discussed in the negotiations, as without it Cyprus could return to the period 1960’s and 70’s.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister added that “If a solution is reached in Cyprus, the administration should be fair, the rights of the communities should be under guarantee, and four fundamental freedoms should be provided.”
“Turkey should be treated as having entered into the EU in terms of Cyprus”.
Source: TRNC Public Information Office –
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Pictures shown are courtesy of the TRNC Public Information Office Facebook page.
This is going on and on and on
And it will Joolsdarling until an agreement or final disagreement is reached.