Akel leader calls for Greek Cypriot side to have ‘clear’ stance on Cyprus problem

Akel leader Stefanos Stefanou called for the Greek Cypriot side to be “clear” regarding its positions on the Cyprus problem at the end of Monday’s National Council meeting. “We are still in the process of meetings and discussions. It is known that this role is being taken on by United Nations Secretary-General [Antonio] Guterres’ envoy, [Maria Angela] Holguin. We will be wiser when Holguin returns to Cyprus to see what she heard and what was discussed, especially in the meetings she held in Turkey,” he said. This, he added, is because Turkey “is where the main key to the efforts to restart negotiations lies”. “We, as Akel, consider it very important, in view of this mobility which exists on the Cyprus issue, that our positions be very clear regarding how we approach the whole process,” he said. He added that the Greek Cypriot side “must constantly reiterate that we want the negotiations to continue from the point at which they were interrupted in 2017, while preserving the convergences and utilising the framework which [Guterres] presented in Crans-Montana”. “To this end, therefore, we must always reaffirm and declare our political will, through this approach, to engage in a negotiation, essentially continuing the negotiations and aiming to quickly reach a first strategic understanding which will mark the inevitable path towards a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem,” he said. Asked whether President Nikos Christodoulides had informed the National Council that Guterres intends to bring about a “strategic understanding” by the end of the year, he said that this was not the case. Guterres, he said, had aimed to do this after negotiations collapsed in Crans-Montana, “so that time would be given to discuss the other issues which would constitute the overall solution to the Cyprus problem”. He said that this year, however, “I am not sure that [Guterres]. In the time he has to complete his term, will be able to do all this work to reach a strategic understanding”. “What is certain, however, is that [Guterres] wants to leave something to his successor, so that his successor, whoever they may be, can continue the effort and reach a solution,” he said. The National Council meeting comes with efforts continuing both on the island and abroad to bring about a resumption of negotiations in earnest to solve the Cyprus problem. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman had last week convened a meeting of Turkish Cypriot political parties, before holding one-on-one meetings with three of his living successors, while Holguin is expected to visit Brussels in the coming days for meetings with European Union leaders. She had last week travelled to both Ankara and Athens to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, having previously been in Cyprus for meetings with both Christodoulides and Erhurman. After visiting Brussels, she is expected to return to the island before the end of this month, having confirmed last week that it is currently intended for an enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem, involving the island’s two sides, its three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the UN, to be convened either in late July or early August. This latest round of contacts comes with the UN having undertaken a “new initiative” with the aim of bringing about a resumption of formal negotiations. Both leaders had stressed that they will be aiming for tangible results to be achieved from the next enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem when it takes place, with Christodoulides saying after his meeting with Holguin that “the goal is to lead us into an enlarged meeting, during which the resumption of talks will be announced”. Erhurman, meanwhile, stressed the need for “results” to be achieved at the next enlarged meeting. “It should not be a five-plus-one for just for the sake of a five-plus-one. It should be a five-plus-one so that results are achieved,” he said.