Turkey's stance undermines prospects for peace in Cyprus and the wider region

"Turkey's stance creates deadlock which undermines prospects for peace in Cyprus and in the wider region," said on Sunday the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, Costas Constantinou, while speaking at a memorial service for the hero of the 1974 Turkish invasion, Ioannis Tsagaris from Dimes.

Constantinou added that after the representations made by the President of the Republic, the Greek Cypriot side is expecting that with the involvement of high-level UN Secretariat officials and the relevant contacts the UNSC will be able to promote procedures to discuss the bold confidence-building measures the government has submitted, on equal terms, far from blackmail, threats and unreasonable demands.

Speaking as a representative of the government at the memorial service, he said "Turkey’s attitude in trying to cover up the horrendous crime of invasion and occupation, in conjunction with the aggressive and illegal actions it carries out in the coastal area and territory of the Republic of Cyprus and especially in the fenced-off area of Famagusta, is leading to deadlock".

"The steadfast struggle for a sincere discussion with the Turkish Cypriot side, on the basis of international law, the UN resolutions and the acquis communautaire, hinges on the firm Turkish intransigence and its provocative stance which promotes the divisive fait accompli it nurtures in the occupied north," Constantinou noted.

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.

President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, conveyed a proposal on Confidence Building Measures through a letter to the Turkish Cypriot leader and the UN last May which included provisions for the operation of the airport located in Turkish-occupied Tymbou under the UN and the return of legal residents to Varosha, the fenced off part of Famagusta.

The proposed package of measures also provides for European Commission involvement in trade through Famagusta port and the implementation by Ankara of the Additional Protocol which will allow Cypriot-flagged vessels to access ports in Turkey. An escrow account for revenues from hydrocarbon activities to be accessed by the Turkish Cypriot community was also proposed provided that Cyprus and Turkey delineate their exclusive economic zones. The Turkish Cypriot side dismissed the package, proposing instead a set of “cooperation proposals” between two “states” in areas such as electricity, renewable energy, water and hydrocarbons.