Cyprus Talks: Turkey calls for two-state solution in Cyprus

Turkey on Thursday said a federal solution cannot be achieved in Cyprus because of the Greek Cypriot side’s mentality.

A federal solution cannot be achieved with the Greek Cypriots’ mentality, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said.

We now believe that a new path should be tried.

Aksoy said the talks have been going on for 50 years without progress and Turkey was not prepared to play the same game.

As long as there is no change of mentality in the Greek Cypriot side we do not intend to play the same game, Aksoy said.

According to Cyprus Mail, his statements, implying that a new kind of solution should be sought, came amid reports that during a recent visit to Cyprus, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had proposed to the Turkish Cypriots to put confederation or a two-state solution on the table.

It was reported at the time that Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci rejected the suggestion.

Meanwhile, Akinci on Monday called on Greek Cypriot leader, Nicos Anastasiades to accept as a “strategic package” without any alterations, the framework drawn up by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Crans Montana, Switzerland, just days before the negotiations collapsed last July.

Instead of accepting the proposal, Anastasiades asked whether Akinci accepted the framework, “as it was finalised on July 4, 2017”.

Anastasiades was referring to changes to the framework suggested by himself on July 4, but not accepted by the Turkish side or adopted by the UN secretary-general.

 

On Thursday, Akinci said he had confirmed the contents of the document point by point, during a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York in September last year.

What I have conveyed is the document put before us at Crans Montana and we accepted. If they are ready to announce, declare, this as a strategic package please do so, he said.

Since making the proposal on Monday, Akinci came under fire from various parties in the north; but he urged them to settle down because the final decision would be the people’s.

I only look at the interests of the Turks of Cyprus, he said.

Akinci said that the rotating presidency is clearly stated in the Guterres document, adding that there is also a reference to effective participation in decision-making.