Cyprus Talks: No settlement without the continuation of Turkey’s guarantees, Akinci

The president of The Republic of North Cyprus TRNC, Mustafa Akinci has reiterated that the continuation of Turkey’s guarantees in Cyprus is inevitable. Speaking on a joint live broadcast with TRT Haber and BRT on Tuesday, Akinci noted that a Cyprus settlement would not be possible if the Greek Cypriot side insist on zero troops and no guarantees.

Akinci said that the removal of Turkey’s guarantees is out of the question and argued that it would not be possible to reach a settlement if the Greek Cypriot side continued to insist on zero troops and zero guarantees. 

“It is possible to find a rational and logical solution. One side has security concerns and demands security from Turkey. There is no way the Turkish Cypriot side would say yes in a referendum without the guarantee of Turkey. A limited number of troops must remain in Cyprus. We need to adapt the situation in 1960 to 2017,” he said.

Akinci said that there are major differences between the talks held in Geneva and the negotiations which took place in 1960.

“First of all we are no longer talking about the position of a vice-president but a rotating presidency. This new settlement will allow a Turkish Cypriot to become the head of state. It is the first time it has been discussed. This is one of the most important gains for the Turkish Cypriots in terms of political equality”, Akinci said, adding that there will be a presidential system.

He said when a settlement is reached, the Cabinet ratio will be 7 to 4 but that “No decision will be valid without the vote of a Turkish Cypriot.”

He explained that the new federal state will be composed of two constituent states.

“We shall have our own constituent state with our own parliament, our own government, our own police force and our own courts. We shall also have the right to make our own international agreements.”

Speaking on the map presented during the meeting in Geneva, Akinci noted that the map presented by the Greek Cypriot side was unacceptable.

“The Greek Cypriot map is not acceptable. I, as the president cannot accept this map. There is no Turkish Cypriot that can accept this map. You could ask me whether 29+ was my opening position and would I go down to 25%, but I can assure you that this will not happen. Why not? Because the bottom limit of the map presented by the Greek Cypriot side is 28.2%. There is no way of going down below that percentage,” he said.

Akinci also noted that a settlement will bring a final solution to the property dispute.

“We are expecting the cost of compensation to be around 10 billion euro. The EU has promised to contribute to this. How much of this promise the EU will keep, we shall all see but I’m cautious. However, if there is to be a settlement in Cyprus, everyone will need to shoulder responsibility,” he concluded.

Source: BRT