Greek Cypriot side’s stance in the negotiations is the opposite - Akinci

Turkish Cypriot president, Mustafa Akinci in a live broadcast on Monday said the Turkish Cypriot side was open to the idea of reducing the federal government’s powers post-solution but they would never accept decisions to be taken on the basis of simple majority.

Akinci who by the broadcast addressed all communities on the island, said the Turkish Cypriot side was not opposed to the idea of devolution as long as a concrete proposal is set on the table so that it can be evaluated in a procedure that will be focused on the result and not open ended.

But I want to make something clear, so far, the Greek Cypriot side’s stance in the negotiations was exactly the opposite, Akinci said.

He stressed that even if the powers of the constituent states increased, “we will not accept decision-making in the central government to be on the basis of simple majority-minority.”

Akinci said without joint decision-making it would mean either two separate states or a unitary state and the ongoing effort was for neither.

Akinci also said that throughout his entire political career he considered the aim of federation feasible under the current circumstances and that is why “I wonder when I see the Greek Cypriot leadership viewing federation as a painful compromise.”

The current reunification model is a logical solution that can unite the two communities who have been living separated for over four decades, Akinci said.

Realists know that the formula in the hands of the two communities is none other than bizonal, bicommunal, federation and that was because it was clear that Turkish Cypriots would not accept having minority rights and be dominated in a unitary Greek Cypriot state, Akinci said.

He suggested that the large majority of Greek Cypriots did not approve of the creation of two separate states.

CM