Christodoulides: ‘no alternative but to solve Cyprus problem’

President Nikos Christodoulides has reiterated that there is “no other option” than resolving the Cyprus problem, saying the Greek Cypriot side is ready to resume negotiations immediately ahead of his meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Tuesday. Speaking at the national refugee meeting in Achna Forest on Friday, Christodoulides said his proposals addressed issues raised by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the substance of negotiations and confidence-building measures. He said the proposals could create the conditions for talks to resume and would form the basis of his message to Erhurman at their meeting next week. “For us, there is no plan B, for us there is no other option than to resolve the Cyprus problem,” Christodoulides said, reiterating his commitment to “ending the occupation and reunifying the island”.

He said the Greek Cypriot side would “exhaust every opportunity to restart substantive negotiations within the agreed framework”, despite what he described as “difficulties” arising from the Turkey’s position. “Fifty-two years later, the essence of the Cyprus problem remains the illegal occupation of part of the territory of a member state of the United Nations and the European Union, as well as the systematic violation of individual rights and freedoms,” he said. Christodoulides insisted that the Greek Cypriot side had demonstrated its political will through “actions” during his three-and-a-half years in office. He also pointed to support from EU institutions and member states, as well as Guterres’s stated commitment to a settlement within the UN framework. He called on the Turkish Cypriot side to participate in negotiations, saying that “all sides will be tested at the negotiating table”. Path forward remains tenuous The…