Cyprus Talks: No agreement reached as talks continues with both sides and Turkey bearing their minds on the Geneva meetings

The five-party conference held in Geneva for the reunification of the divided Cyprus island ended on Friday January 13 with no conclusion reached as negotiations moves to a new phase.

The guarantors and technical experts will continue with the reunification talks on behalf of the two leaders and are set to meet again on 18^th January.

Reacting to the talks so far, Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said the Greek Cypriot side was avoiding a solution to the Cyprus problem and warned that a solution without Turkey should not be expected.

“We have told Cyprus and Greece clearly that they should not expect a solution without Turkey as guarantor. We are going to be there forever,” Erdogan said to reporters in Istanbul on Friday.

Erdogan also said in reference to the maps presented by both sides that it was impossible for Karpas to be handed over to the Greek Cypriots side. And on the return of Varosha, he said;

“If you want Varosha to be opened up for use, Kokkina (Erenkoy) and Morphou (Guzelyurt) should be joined and be given to the Turkish Cypriot administration. Open Varosha and closed Varosha would then be given to the Greek Cypriot administration.” 

On rotating presidency, Erdogan said it was unfair for Turkish Cypriot side to hold the presidency one term as to a four term for the Greek Cypriot side, adding that it should be one-to-two. 

On security, Erdogan said that the Greeks Cypriot side should not expect a guarantee without Turkish troops adding that the withdrawal of Turkish troops was out of the question unless both sides pulled out.

Following the Geneva conference, Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, said future negotiations should “find the ways and means so that both communities of this beautiful island will feel safe and secure.”

“We need time. We can’t have everything on day one,” he told a news conference in Geneva.

Akinci said during the first two days of the Geneva summit some convergences had been reached but noted that there was still much to do.

“For the first time in Geneva, maps were presented on proposed territorial boundaries and that later these maps were sealed in the UN’s vault. The Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades said that the map we presented was unacceptable and we do not find the map submitted by the Greek Cypriot side to be acceptable and we have informed the UN Secretary General of this with a letter,” said Akinci.

Akinci also noted that some issues still needed to be tied up, and would be finalised once the last phase had been reached.

“It would be wrong to say that the five-party conference has ended or that there is uncertainty. The Cyprus solution process has not been endorsed as an open ended road. Right after the 18^th January meeting, the conference will be transferred to a higher level and we are determined to hold a second conference,” said Akinci who added that such an opportunity might not present itself again.

Meanwhile Greek Cypriot president, Nicos Anastasiades on Friday said Turkey would not have been at the negotiating table if it did not want to cooperate.

“If Turkey didn’t want to cooperate it would not be at the negotiating table discussing the withdrawal of troops,” Anastasiades said at a news conference following the conference on Cyprus in Geneva.

“We are at the negotiating table … not to confirm the 1960s agreements but to find a solution that meets the expectations of the Cypriot people.

He also said that the ongoing talks should produce a “radical” change in the island’s security situation, currently guaranteed by Greece, Turkey, and Britain.

“The fact that the UN announcement outlines a clear intent by participants to reach a mutually acceptable solution on the security and guarantee issues is a mandate to the working groups to process new forms (of guarantees), acceptable and radically different from the guarantee system of 1960.” he said.

Cyprus Mail/Hurriyet