The position of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots made finding points of convergence for resuming talks on Cyprus impossible, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said on Thursday after a UN-mediated informal meeting failed to bear fruit
ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th April, 2021) The position of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots made finding points of convergence for resuming talks on Cyprus impossible, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said on Thursday after a UN-mediated informal meeting failed to bear fruit.
From April 27-29, Geneva hosted an informal meeting between the leaders of the Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities and three guarantors of Cyprus' independence Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The UN Secretary General was also in attendance. The meeting sought to create conditions for resuming negotiations on the Cyprus problem, as well as identifying whether there is common ground for negotiations toward a long-term solution.
"We came to this meeting underscoring that any solution must be fully compatible not only with these parameters, but also with the European acquis. We have shown a constructive stance. We have worked alongside the Republic of Cyprus to achieve this goal. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find common ground for the opening of negotiations in this context, due to the stance of the Turkish Cypriot and Turkish sides," Dendias said in a statement.
According to him, UN chief Antonio Guterres said that he will continue his efforts and convene a new informal five-party meeting in two or three months.
The minister added that Greece "made it clear that these efforts of the Secretary-General should be carried out within the agreed framework and the framework of his mandate," insisting on seeking a solution "within the framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federation."
The Cyprus problem is a conflict between the Greek and Turkish communities of the island. The conflict entered the current phase following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus that divided the island into two parts by creating the Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey, and considered by other countries a part of the Republic of Cyprus.
