x

Society

Turkish-Cypriot “Minister” Says Unity Talks Lead Nowhere

February 8, 2018

Collapsed talks to reunify Cyprus nearly 44 years after an unlawful Turkish invasion won’t be resurrected nor succeed as long as Cypriots and Turks living on the island have different definitions of what a new state would look like, said Turkish-Cypriot self-declared Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades walked away from the negotiations in July, 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana after Turkish-Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, echoing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said they would keep an army in the occupied northern third and wanted the right to militarily intervene.

The model for reunification has been a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation based on political equality even though Turkish-Cypriots have only 18 percent of the population but Ozersay said each side has a different idea of what that is and how it would work.

“Basically, there is no agreement on what was being negotiated,” he said. “The two sides need to agree on the matter of the parameters and engage in negotiations within them,” he added, according to The Cyprus Mail.

Ozersay said the two sides needed to discuss whether or not a common goal could be found and went along with Akinci’s claim that Cypriots are not ready to share power and wealth with the Turkish-Cypriots despite reports Anastasiades was willing to let a Turk be the island’s President every other term.

“A change of approach took time and for this reason without this change, or as long as the sides do not understand the same thing as regards the parameters of a solution, resumption of the talks cannot lead anywhere,” he said.

He had served as his side’s technical negotiator in talks and said he would find ways to strengthen the Turkish-Cypriot side.

The recent re-election of Anastasiades has led to speculation that perhaps the talks could resume even though there’s been little progress and nothing but failure for more than four decades.

RELATED

Despite constant efforts to show it’s not a haven for the rich and criminals to hide their cash, Cyprus was once again rebuked for money laundering and financial interests, this time by the European Commission.

Top Stories

Columnists

A pregnant woman was driving in the HOV lane near Dallas.

General News

NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.

Video

A Palestinian Baby in Gaza is Born an Orphan in an Urgent Cesarean Section after an Israeli Strike

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Sabreen Jouda came into the world seconds after her mother left it.

ATHENS, Greece — A far-right Greek lawmaker has been charged with criminal assault for allegedly punching a colleague on the sidelines of a parliamentary debate Wednesday.

BROOKLYN, NY – From Greece to Miami to Brooklyn, Meraki Greek Bistro is now open in Williamsburg at 252 Grand Street.

SANTORINI – The prestigious sports event of Santorini, Santorini Experience, which highlights one of the top tourist destinations in the world through sports activities, will be held for the 7th year from October 3-6.

ATHENS – The distinguished Greek-American scientist Nikos Kyrpides, biologist, researcher, head of the Prokaryotic Genomics Program at the Joint Genome Institute of the U.

Enter your email address to subscribe

Provide your email address to subscribe. For e.g. [email protected]

You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in our newsletter.