Cyprus: Anastasiades discusses EU's position on Turkey
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The president of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, launched a furious attack at the European Union during an interview about the EU’s relationship with Turkey. His comments come after talks to resolve the Turkey-Cyprus dispute found the Cypriot side wants a ‘bi-zonal’ federation while the Turkish side wants a two-state solution. But the EU has been slammed for pursuing a ‘positive agenda’ with Turkey. Furious president Anastasiades slammed it would be “political suicide” if his country “accepted a positive agenda without Cyprus included”. He added how the move “contradicts” the position of the European Union on Turkey and dictator President Erdogan.
The Cypriot president said: “As far as we’re concerned, we didn’t present anything beyond what is already in the context of the UN parameters.
“We presented the topics achieved by dialogue (in the past negotiations).”
He added: “We gave specific information, like how the rights of Turkish Cypriots are protected, how human rights are to be guaranteed.
“How can we accept positions that are at the expense of what is happening in any other federal state?”
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Mr Anastasiades added: “In other words, we made concessions in order to satisfy the claims of the Turkish Cypriots.
“What has created this gap? The completely new position that we should proceed to a solution!
“Not using the bi-zonal bi-communal federation with political equality as defined in the resolutions of the United Nations, but by using the solution of two states.”
The Cypriot added: “That’s something that is unthinkable for the international community as it contradicts all UN resolutions without exception as far as the Cyprus issue is concerned.”
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And in a scathing dismissal of the bloc, the president slammed: “It also contradicts the position of the European Union!”
The recent informal 5-party meeting about the Cyprus issue took place in Geneva in April.
But two sides were diametrically opposed on the future of relations between the bitter rivals over the Cyprus issue with the stalemate described as “unbridged” and a “total rift” following the meetings.
The Cypriot side insists on the bi-zonal bi-communal federation which would see a Turkish-Cypriots barred from forming their own state but allow the Turkish-Cypriots to have regional control over their own affairs, but not complete ownership of their land or form a union with Turkey.
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But the Turkish Cypriot side proposed and brought to the table the solution of two states.
In April 2009, an opinion poll conducted in Cyprus showed that the majority of Greek Cypriots supported partition from Turkish Northern Cyprus.
But a later opinion poll conducted in 2010 saw 84 percent of Greek Cypriots and 70 percent of Turkish Cypriots admit no side will concede on the issue.
It said: “The other side would never accept the actual compromises and concessions that are needed for a fair and viable settlement”.
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