Statements by the President of the Republic on the Cyprus problem and the election of Mr Eroglu
"The new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Dervis Eroglu may have responded positively to the continuation of the talks, but what is most important is for Mr Eroglu to reaffirm the basis of negotiations”, the President of the Republic Mr Demetris Christofias has stated.
Speaking in London on Saturday, at a public meeting of the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, President Christofias stressed that the election of Mr Eroglu, taking into account his long-standing views on the Cyprus problem, creates reasonable concerns regarding the prospects for a solution to the Cyprus problem.
‘It is a common belief of all the political parties in Cyprus that the election of Mr Eroglu will make the efforts of finding a solution even harder”, he said.
President Christofias referred to the letter he has sent to the UN Secretary-General, immediately after the election of Mr Eroglu, in which he stressed inter alia that the talks must resume on the basis of the joint statements issued on 23 May and on 1July, 2008, namely “on the basis of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality, as defined by the relevant UN resolutions, for a state with a single and undivided sovereignty, a single citizenship and a single international personality”, as well as on the principle that ''nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’, which is a firm position of the Greek Cypriot side.
Noting that the United Nations publicly responded positively and accepted these positions, which have also been adopted by the UN Security Council resolutions, President Christofias added: “we expect Mr Eroglu to act within this framework.''
Referring to the Turkey’s EU accession course, President Christofias stressed that Turkey’s EU accession course and its European aspirations can be used as a leverage to exert pressure on Turkey to change its stance. The presence of the Republic of Cyprus in the European Union provides the opportunity to utilize this leverage and for this we are working systematically and on target; with our strong presence in the EU”, he concluded.
