Remarks by the President of the Republic following his
meeting
with the leader of the Turkish Cypriot
community
Today’s meeting was very productive the President of the
Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, said, following his meeting with the leader of
the Turkish Cypriot community, Mr Mustafa Akinci. President Anastasiades noted
that the meeting provided the opportunity “to examine the future course, so that
we can concentrate on all the pending issues”.
In his remarks to reporters following his return to the
Presidential Palace from the old Nicosia airport, where he held talks with the
leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Mr. Mustafa Akinci, President
Anastasiades wished “a Happy New Year to the people of Cyprus, Greek Cypriots
and Turkish Cypriots”.
Asked whether today’s meeting dealt with the property
issue, the President of the Republic responded negatively, adding that “it was a
very productive meeting that provided us the opportunity to examine the future
course, so that we can concentrate on all the pending issues, in order to
ascertain where we can converge and also where there are differences, so that
gradually and with a working program in the next few months we will see how it
is possible to achieve the desired solution”.
Asked if, on the basis of the positions that are
submitted by the two sides, mainly on the fundamental issues, there is room for
bridging the differences on the pending issues, the President of the Republic
said that “there is –and it is the most important thing- mutual understanding of
the difficulties of each community. In this framework, we are trying to find
ways, so that, without ignoring the concerns of the one side, not to neglect
certainly, at the same time, also the concerns of the other.
The whole climate is positive, as long as where and
anywhere there are positions that are not compatible with the basic principles
of a viable, functional solution, (that) will be overcome through proposals that
will reflect the actual facts and not the problems that spring from the
past”,
In response to a question if there is room to overcome
the difference in positions on issues such as, for example, the issue of
population and property majorities, President Anastasiades said that “everything
must be based on principles and not on predetermined positions. And
consequently, that is where the attention is focused so that there are no
impressions given that one community is imposing on the other issues that only
concern it, but ignore the concerns of the other”.
Asked to comment on references by Turkey’s EU Minister,
Volkan Bozkir, about converting the solution of the Cyprus problem into primary
law, and if this issue has been discussed with Mr Akinci, the President of the
Republic said that he has not heard the relevant statement, noting that with the
leader of the Turkish Cypriot community the issue “has not been discussed at
all. But it has been understood that primary law is what allowed the Republic of
Cyprus to become a full member of the EU.
Any other idea, I have the impression, is alien to
reality and this, in my opinion, is being understood by everybody”, he
added.
