Two sides ‘close to’ deal on joint statement

Reports on Saturday suggested that the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides were close to a deal on a joint declaration that will pave the way for talks to resolve the island’s long standing division.

It was suggested that significant progress had been made and that the two sides were not far from agreeing the text of the declaration.

Reports said announcements could be expected this week, before Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s visit to the north on Saturday, December 14.

On Friday, Davutoglu will visit Greece for talks that will focus on the Cyprus problem.

President Nicos Anastasiades will brief party leaders on Monday, reports said.

The Greek Cypriot side has made in clear that it would not enter into talks without an agreed joint declaration addressing its concerns, as any failure of the peace process is seen as opening the door to Turkish Cypriots to push for cementing the division of the island by upgrading the breakaway regime.

Turkish Cypriots on the other hand, demand that the federated states are considered “founding states” in a new, reunited Cyprus, giving them sovereignty and “residual powers” to decide on matters like citizenship.

 

 

 

 

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.