President hints at ‘developments’ on Cyprob negotiations

Developments on the resumption of negotiations may be expected soon, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday as he attended a memorial event for the missing in Kornos.

Citing information he had without delving into specifics, he told reporters “I believe that soon there will be developments towards this direction. Let’s hope that these developments will lead to the effective resumption of the talks.”

Christodoulides added that tomorrow [Saturday] would be a difficult day for everyone, as it marks 50 years since the invasion.

“The issue of the missing is the most tragic aspect of this continuing occupation. At the same time, if we truly want to honour the memory of these people who sacrificed themselves so we can be here today, so the Republic of Cyprus can be here, for there to be institutions, then we have to do everything possible to resume the dialogue.”

He specified he knew first-hand the challenges in resuming talks and he did ignore them, but efforts still had to continue.

Asked if the EU would be on the table if talks resumed, Christodoulides said “whether someone wants it or not, the EU is part of the solution.”

Cyprus is an EU member state and it will continue to be after a potential solution, he added.

“I truly believe, taking into account my experience in negotiations, that on the matters where there is a difference in opinions between the two sides, there is a solution. The solution comes from the EU itself.”

Responding to a question on whether he feared new realities on the ground, Christodoulides said that the passage of time in general, not just these days, creates new fait accompli, makes negotiations more difficult and removes the prospect of a Cyprus settlement.

At the same time, the current state of affairs cannot be the future of this country and it is for this reason that everything possible is being done to lead to a solution of the Cyprus problem.