Remarks
by the Government Spokesman on President Anastasiades’
meeting
with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser
Those
conditions that existed before our decision to suspend our participation in the
negotiations must be created so that the dialogue on the Cyprus problem will
resume, the Government Spokesman, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, said today.
In
his remarks to reporters, at the Presidential Palace, following the meeting of
the President of the Republic with the Special Adviser of the UN
Secretary-General on Cyprus, Mr Espen Barth Eide, Mr Christodoulides said that
during the meeting “a very good dialogue took place about the current phase of
the Cyprus problem and how the dialogue can restart, how the reasons that led
the Greek Cypriot side to the decision to suspend its participation in the
negotiations can be removed, how we can return to the previous state of affairs,
and about the fact that Turkey must prove that it respects, in practice, the
sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus in its Exclusive Economic Zone.
We
must wait to see if there will be specific developments. The readiness of our
side and the will of the President of the Republic are granted, so we are
waiting for Turkey to prove, in practice, if it really wishes for substantive
talks to restart that could lead to a solution of the Cyprus problem.”
He
added that “there cannot be negotiations taking place with Turkey issuing a
NAVTEX illegally in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus.”
In
response to a question as to whether the withdrawal of the Turkish ship
‘Barbaros’ from the port of Famagusta as well, is included among the things that
the Government wants to see taking place in practice, Mr Christodoulides said
“but of course; it is one of the reasons that led us to the decision for the
suspension of our participation in the negotiations.”
Responding
to another question, he said that “our energy planning continues very normally.
You also saw today a very important decision (by Noble Energy). In the coming
days there will also be other important announcements in this direction.”
