Cyprus Talks: Anastasiades ready to meet Akinci for talks as long as Turkey ends provocations

Greek Cypriot president, Nicos Anastasiades has informed the UN of his readiness to return to the negotiation table and meet with Turkish Cypriot president, Mustafa Akinci as long as Turkish provocations end.

According to the Greek Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou, Anastasiades made the remarks at a meeting with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, in the presence of the UNSG’s Special Representative in Cyprus Elizabeth Spehar, on Friday morning.

Prodromou said that the meeting focused on the UN study regarding the peacekeeping operations which does not only concern Cyprus but peacekeeping operations worldwide, adding that Anastasiades “underlined to Mr. Lacroix, along with his aides, the minister of foreign affairs and the Greek Cypriot negotiator, the role and the effectiveness of the UN peacekeeping force.”

We realise that the mission is here for many, many years and that for some people at the UN this may be considered as a burden, but the results are very positive, he noted, adding that UNFICYP plays an important role in maintaining tranquillity in Cyprus. Unficyp has been in Cyprus since March 1964.

Prodromou said that since Spehar was present at the meeting, Anastasiades held a preliminary discussion as regards the state of play in Cyprus. He reiterated his readiness to continue negotiations – as long as provocations and violations by Turkey are terminated – within the existing UN framework, with no new preconditions or demands, Prodromou added.

He also said that Anastasiades “reiterated to Spehar his readiness to meet with Akinci, as they will have  to have at some point  a tete-a-tete conversation if the process is to resume.”

There were no developments on this so far, he added.

Prodromou noted that Anastasiades has sent more than one letter to Antonio Guterres expressing his readiness for the resumption of the talks.

Cyprus Mail.