Cyprus Talks: Akıncı emphasises on federation

President of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, Mustafa Akıncı has expressed the need to negotiate a bi-zonal federal model in Cyprus which will be based on political equality.

Akıncı also stressed that the political equality and active participation in decisions were the bases in all circumstances.

He added that giving up a legitimate and right thesis was not the way to defeat the Greek Cypriot leadership’s negative manners.

In a statement on the Cyprus issue, the President said as long as the Cyprus issue existed, the search for a solution will continue adding that this was resulted from the dangers of the current situation.

Stressing that it was the current status quo which excluded the Turkish Cypriots from the international law, which drive them to uncertainty and eroded their identity, he however noted that the Greek Cypriot administration had made use of the Cyprus Republic throughout the years.

This situation cannot continue like this. As I said before, the Turkish Cypriots are suffering more because of the status quo today however it will not be for the benefit of the Greek Cypriots also in the long term. Those who don’t pay attention today will experience this in the future, Akıncı said.

Stating that it was still possible to meet in the path of mind and logic, the President stressed that the conditions developed after 1974 revealed that a bi-zonal federal solution based on political equality was the most realistic solution model in Cyprus.

This thesis which had been voiced by the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey in the beginning was later accepted by the Greek Cypriot side and the United Nations also. Today, all sides are saying that the solution could be reached through negotiations and within the UN framework. As this is the situation, the model to be negotiated is obvious. Of course we can discuss more powers to be given to the founding states. This has already been our thesis. However, the political equality and active participation in decisions were the bases in all circumstances, Akıncı said.

We will not give up our right thesis and rightful demands. If you do this you take the responsibility of deadlock. This could only mean to play into the hands of those who want the continuation of status quo, he added.

The inconsistency of the Greek Cypriot leadership, backing down from what it had accepted before and ignoring the basic parameters of political equality was the biggest obstacle on a solution. However, giving up a legitimate and right thesis is not the way to defeat these negative manners. We need to keep our consistent manner in front of our people as well as the Greek Cypriot community and the international community. We need to bring to the agenda and fight with the Greek Cypriot leadership’s manner on political equality in every platform. We should not shift our ground and lose our persuasiveness while doing this, Akıncı said.

The official recognition of two independent states is not possible in this conjuncture. It is not seen as possible in the near future also. This is not related with my denial but with the realities of the world, Akinci concluded.

BRT