AKEL statement on the failure of the Cyprus reunification talks in Switzerland
ICP, 10 July 2017
The Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL) CC Press Office released a statement by Stefanos Stefanou, AKEL C.C. Spokesperson right after the failure of the Cyprus Conference in Switzerland by the end of last week.
UN chief António Guterres had said he was ‘very sorry’ as he announces no agreement reached in the reunification talks for Cyprus talks held in the Swiss Alps for the last ten days. Guterres, had announced the failure, saying: “I wish the next generation good luck on this and that one day maybe Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots will decide together that there is no longer a need for troops on the island.”
Different sources revealed that the issue of maintaining military intervention rights – insisted upon by Turkey- as being the main bottleneck of the talks. Turkey has kept an estimated 40,000 soldiers on the island since 1974, and The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who represented Turkey at the talks said: “For Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side it is not acceptable for troops to be withdrawn.” On the other side Greece’s foreign ministry spokesman Stratos Efthymiou said "it was similarly impossible for the Greek side to countenance an envisioned federal Cyprus with occupation troops on its soil and Turkey clinging to the right of unilateral intervention."
Following the Guterres's announcement of no agreement AKEL statement by Stefanou emphasized their dedicated position to remaining "focused on achieving a solution that liberates and reunites our country and people" despite the disappointing failure of the Cyprus Conference.
The statement also pointed out that they find "the partitionist and occupational status quo" which created the deadlocks and failures in the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, as dangerous and unacceptable.
The statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson is as follows:
"The fact that the Conference on the Cyprus problem in Switzerland has ended in failure is frustrating and represents a negative development. The deadlocks and failures in the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem perpetuate the partitionist and occupational status quo, which is unacceptable and dangerous. The day after of the Conference on the Cyprus problem is full of challenges about which we must collectively reflect on. The situation harbors that must be addressed collectively.
As we do not have any information whatsoever about what happened at the Conference, it would not be serious and responsible on our part to jump to hasty conclusions based on what is being transmitted as information. It is of course obvious that unacceptable claims were raised by Turkey that could not be accepted. However, without having the overall picture we cannot make an assessment about what has taken place. We will do so, given that we have been briefed. It is important to have our own evaluation as to why the Conference failed, but it is also much more important and crucial what third parties, and more specifically the United Nations, will report on its results.
Therefore, the logic of the policy of capitalizing on the negative developments should not prevail on the domestic front when the times for the present and future of our homeland and people are critical. To prevent negative developments and to promote the prospect for a solution, the building of cooperation with the progressive Turkish Cypriots is imperative.
For AKEL, it is clear that a non-solution is no solution at all. Therefore, regardless of the disappointment the failure of the Cyprus Conference is provoking, we must remain focused on achieving a solution that liberates and reunites our country and people."