We should do everything in our power and insist on the resumption of negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem based on the agreed framework, President of the House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou said on Monday.
Demetriou received delegations from the Parliament of Greece and Slovenia, mayors and municipal councillors of the cities twinned with the Turkish occupied town of Morphou, and the Municipal Council of the town, who participated in Sunday’s anti-occupation march for Morphou.
At the meeting held in the House of Representatives, Demetriou said that ‘unfortunately’, it has been already 50 years since the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the ongoing occupation, stressing that, especially with the current developments in the Middle East, it is imperative to intensify efforts and initiatives for the settlement of the Cyprus issue.
She noted that ‘we should demonstrate what is still happening on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and not only that, but also emphasise the necessity of th
e prevalence of peace, human rights, security, prosperity’, pointing out that the Republic of Cyprus could become a catalyst for stability especially with what is happening in the region.
The House President said that ‘we will not stop working in this direction and certainly insist on the restart of the negotiations based on the agreed framework, as recorded in the UN resolutions, which is the bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality’.
Demetriou noted that the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, was going to London on Monday, where he will have a series of contacts on the Cyprus issue, and was going to New York on Tuesday for an informal dinner with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, in the presence of UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.
‘We hope to have at least the understanding, necessary in order to proceed with the restart of the negotiations from the point where they were interrupted in Crans-Montana’, Demetriou said, adding that ‘although the odds are
not particularly favourable, we ought to work and do everything in our power in this direction, and so the President of the Republic of Cyprus, shall have our support’.
Demetriou thanked the representatives who participated in the Morphou anti-occupation march that took place on Sunday. ‘Your participation is not just a formality, it is essential’, she said, noting that their participation also reflects the necessity for legitimacy, European and international law and justice to prevail.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency