Cyprus Talks: Turkish Cypriot side using vote on Enosis as a pretext to delay talks - Anastasiades

Greek Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades has accused the Turkish Cypriot side of using the vote on Enosis Day by the Greek Cypriot parliament as a pretext to stall reunification talks in other to avoid an overlap with Turkey’s constitutional referendum in April.


Recall that negotiation talks between the leaders of Greek and Turkish Cypriots sides stalled last month following a decision by the Greek Cypriot parliament to introduce an annual commemoration of the 1950 referendum on the island’s union with Greece (Enosis) in public secondary schools.

“It would have been more honest for (Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci) to have said it’s best to suspend negotiations until the referendum is over,” Anastasiades said on Wednesday to Greece’s Skai TV in a television interview.

Turkey is expected to hold a referendum on major constitutional changes on April 16, a move that could give more powers to President Tayyip Erdogan. 

The decision to commemorate the date in schools angered the Turkish Cypriot side who say the desire to annex the island with Greece was the source of the island’s division.

Turkish Cypriot president, Mustafa Akinci had demanded that the vote be rescinded with Anastasiades admitting that the move was a mistake.  

“That shouldn’t be a justification for Akinci to abandon the talks. He was looking for a pretext.”

Source: Cyprus Mail