Cyprus Talks: Akinci calls on Greek Cypriot side to adopt Guterres framework

President of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, Mustafa Akinci on Monday said that if the Greek Cypriot side was ready to accept the Guterres framework without changes, it could be announced as a strategic package agreement.

In a brief tweet Akinci said 

If the Greek Cypriot side is ready to accept the #Guterres framework as it is, without any alterations, it should say so without delay. In that case, we can announce it as a strategic package agreement… @AnastasiadesCY”

Meanwhile the Greek Cypriot side has been saying, since the talks failed in Crans-Montana last year, that they wanted the framework laid down by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to be the basis for the resumption of negotiations.

According to Greek Cypriot daily, Cyprus Mail, statements from the Turkish side since Crans-Montana have been focused on a ‘new roadmap’ for the talks, even outside the UN framework, as stated by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu when he was in the north last week.

Coupled with increasing speculation in the north, and overt statements by some Turkish Cypriot politicians about putting partition on the table, Akinci’s Twitter overture to President Nicos Anastasiades is being seen as a last-ditch attempt to salvage the negotiations before it’s too late.

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