Akıncı: “The negotiations will lose their meaning if no steps are taken on enosis issue”
President Mustafa Akıncı has expressed his disappointment regarding the decision by the Greek Cypriot parliament to mark the 1950 Enosis Plebiscite at Greek Cypriot schools to the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative Elizabeth Spehar.
Akıncı stated that if the Greek Cypriot side does not take any steps on this issue, the negotiation process will lose its meaning. Imposing Enosis to the Greek Cypriot youth is a serious blow to the negotiations, Akıncı said, and added that if the Greek Cypriot parliament will not reverse its decision, the agenda of the leaders’ meeting on Thursday will be dominated by this issue. Akıncı also noted that he will wait to see the response by the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades ahead of their scheduled meeting on Thursday.
President Akıncı stated that the expected meeting of the negotiators today most likely would not be held.
President Akıncı also held an urgent telephone conversation with the UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor Espen Barth Eide and requested their assistance in order to prevent the Greek Cypriot leader Anastasiades from signing the decision of the Parliament. Akıncı emphasized in his call that the decision of the Greek Cypriot parliament to commemorate the Enosis referendum is in direct contradiction to the solution target.
Parliament issues unanimous declaration condemning the Greek Cypriot enosis decision
Speaker of the Assembly Sibel Siber has issued a statement on behalf of the Parliament strongly condemning the move by the Greek Cypriot side to bring forward the Enosis issue while efforts to solve the Cyprus issue are ongoing, and requested the UN to launch an initiative for the decision to be retracted by the Greek Cypriot parliament.
The declaration was prepared with the support of all political parties represented in the parliament as well as independent deputies. The General Assembly of the Parliament convened under the presidency of the Speaker of the Assembly Sibel Siber.
Turkish Cypriot politicians from all political groups have strongly criticised the decision taken by the Greek Cypriot House of Representatives to introduce the 1950 ‘Enosis Day’ in schools in South Cyprus.
The declaration stated that the Turkish Cypriot people, despite having lived through the bitter experiences of the past, have always supported a settlement that will ensure that these experiences are not relived. “The Turkish Cypriot people voted in favour of the Annan Plan and has since kept its will for a settlement alive”.
The TRNC Assembly, in line with the people’s will, has continually supported a settlement, adopting numerous resolutions in support of a solution on the basis of UN parameters. Most recently, the Assembly supported the 11th of February 2014 Joint Declaration as signed by both leaders.
This decision by the Greek Cypriot parliament to mark the 1950 Enosis Plebiscite at Greek Cypriot schools is in direct contradiction to the 11th of February 2014 Joint Declaration as well as fundamentally undermining the ongoing Cyprus negotiations process.
“It must be known that this decision has been perceived as an act of disrespect to the main philosophy of the negotiations, has deepened Turkish Cypriot peoples’ mistrust and raised doubts regarding the Greek Cypriot Side’s intention and goodwill towards reaching a settlement on the basis of UN parameters” the declaration read.
The statement also condemned the decision in the presence of the UN, urging it to launch an initiative to persuade the Greek Cypriot side to retract the decision, which it described as a historic mistake that could have “irreversible consequences”.
Raşit Pertev is official candidate of Turkey for the presidency of IFAD
Turkey’s official candidate for the presidential election of the Governing Council of IFAD is Raşit Pertev. Alongside Pertev, Bambang Brodjonegoro from Indonesia, Maria Eugenia Cesar Perez from Mexico, Paolo De Castro from Italy, Ismhane Elouafi from Morocco, Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo from Togo and Josefine Stubbs from Dominican Republic will compete for the presidency. The President of the IFAD is appointed for four years with a term-limit.
IFAD was created in 1977, and since then has focused exclusively on rural poverty reduction, working with the local populations in developing countries to eliminate poverty, hunger and malnutrition; raise their productivity and incomes; and improve the quality of their lives.
The 40th meeting of the Governing Council, in which financial policies are determined on agriculture and rural areas in the world, will start tomorrow to appoint the new President. In accordance with the Agreement Establishing IFAD, the Governing Council of IFAD will appoint the President at its annual meeting on 14-15 February 2017. The appointed President will take office on 1 April 2017. Turkey’s official candidate Raşit Pertev is supported by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and many farmers’ organizations.
Source: TRNC Public Information Office –
To read more news and information from the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please click here
Pictures shown are courtesy of the TRNC Public Information Office Facebook page.