Cyprus leader says he is ready to resume peace talks ‘today’
Cyprus’ president said on Wednesday he was ready to immediately resume reunification talks over the ethnically divided island, urging regional rival Turkey to also engage in the effort.
“We cannot change geography. It is an opportunity, not a curse. Turkey and Cyprus will always remain neighbors,” Nikos Christodoulides said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “I adamantly believe we can carve a new path, one of peace, cooperation and collaboration,” he said.
Cyprus was split decades ago in a Turkish invasion after a brief Greek-inspired coup, and preceded by years of sporadic violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Reunification talks collapsed in mid-2017 and have been at a stalemate since.
A Turkish Cypriot breakaway entity in northern Cyprus, backed only by Turkey, wants a two-state deal where its sovereignty is recognized. Greek Cypriots say the only framework available is that defined by UN resolutions calling for reunification under a bizonal, bicommunal federation.
“I am committed and I am ready to sit at the negotiating table today. Not tomorrow. Today,” Christodoulides said.
On Tuesday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told the UN General Assembly that the federation model “has now completely lost its validity”, saying there were “two separate states and two separate peoples” on the island.
“The sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriots, which are their inherent rights, should be reaffirmed, and the isolation should now come to an end,” he said.
He later told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that a meeting between the sides under the auspices of the UN to discuss models other than a federation could help, his office said.
Perched on the edge of the Middle East, the Cyprus problem is now massively overshadowed by the explosive situation of its neighbors.
Earlier this year the island became a bridge for delivering badly-needed humanitarian aid to Israel-besieged Gaza in an initiative backed by the United Arab Emirates, the US and Israel. It has also offered to assist in an evacuation of civilians from the region if tensions escalate further.
Yet despite the grim outlook, Christodoulides said he would never accept the linear narrative of a region in turmoil.
“I have experienced first-hand what countries in the region can achieve when they come together behind a common vision,” he said. [Reuters]
