Nicosia sees window of opportunity
Despite the fact that for the time being Ankara appears immovable, Nicosia is sensing a willingness on the part of the international community to support new negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus problem, with the “window of opportunity” that has opened with the perceived turn of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan toward the West.
Since his election, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides had engaged in a struggle to get the EU partners to share the need to appoint a European as a special envoy in the island’s reunification effort.
The interest of the international community seen in Nicosia stemmed from the latest statement of the UN Security Council which reiterated the commitment to the resolution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, but also expressed a positive opinion on the appointment of a special envoy under the auspices of the UN.
Konstantinos Letymbiotis, spokesman for the Christodoulides government, noted that it was gratifying to note that during the Security Council’s deliberations, member-countries positioned themselves in favor of the resumption of talks on the agreed basis, as well as the appointment of an envoy of the secretary-general. He also noted the acknowledgement of the Cyprus government’s readiness to resume negotiations.
It is worth noting that Nicosia and Ankara, along with the entity in the north of Cyprus, disagree even on where exactly the 2017 negotiations in Crans-Montana stopped. However, UNSC members urged both sides to take advantage of this window of opportunity, including by taking tangible steps and implementing other goodwill gestures to promote a favorable climate.
However, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the views expressed in the UNSC statement are seen as “detached from the reality on the ground,” and it reiterated its support for a two-state solution.
