Chief negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis attended a meeting at the presidential palace on Wednesday at a technocratic level to discuss four freedoms issue concerning the status of Turkish nationals post-settlement.
The meeting was chaired by government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides and attended by officials of the ministries of foreign affairs, interior, trade and agriculture, and the state’s legal services.
Turkey’s demand that the four freedoms bestowed by the EU acquis be applied to Turkish nationals after a solution, was put forward by Vice President Tugrul Turkes some two weeks ago. The four freedoms are; freedom of movement of goods, persons, services and capital.
In the meantime, Cyprus consulted the EU on the issue by letter, while Mavroyiannis also went to Brussels last week.
On Thursday, the two negotiators are to present President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci their work on pending issues of the chapters discussed at the talks for the two leaders to decide on how to proceed.
Anastasiades said on Sunday that in his letter to the EU regarding Turkey’s demand on the four freedoms, he pointed out that it was not a matter concerning one country but the whole of the EU, and that the Republic of Cyprus could not negotiate on behalf of the other member states nor create precedents which were likely to cause significant problems in the EU.
“What I have received is the ultimate understanding of our European partners and of course the institutions,” the president said.
As regards the same issue, Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci was quoted as saying by Hurriyet Daily News on Wednesday that both his community and Turkey attach great importance to it.
“The issue of Turkish citizens enjoying similar rights to Greek citizens on the island is an issue that we and Turkey attach great importance to. At any rate, we are not talking, for instance, about the free movement of 80 million Turks. That’s not what Turkey is asking for. We are looking for formulas for those who will come to the island to reside and which will not be different than the rights of the Greeks residing on the island,” Akinci said in an interview with the daily.
“At any rate, we have informed Ankara on the talks on these issues and we are in very close cooperation,” he said.
Currently, he said, the Greek Cypriot side accepted “that everybody independent of their ethnicity who carries the ID of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will acquire the citizenship of a united Cyprus”. This, he said, concerns 220,000 people. He added that the Greek Cypriot side was informed of this number.
As regards Turkish nationals who work in northern Cyprus, Akıncı said that they will continue to post-solution, but that will be required to obtain a work permit “in line with the needs of the economy”. These permits, he said, will be given by the federal government’s committees.
Akinci also said that the coming three months were critical as regards the settlement talks, as following planned meetings in March and April, all the sides will acquire an idea as to whether the process will lead to a solution.
“It has been half a century that we have been talking about a solution. The guarantor states have come together for the first time. Never before have we talked in such depth on issues like territory, security and guarantees. These three months are critical,”
Commenting on the issue of guarantees, Akıncı said that his view was to retain the guarantee system and review it in 15 years, as that would provide enough time for Turkish Cypriots to test the functioning of the new federal system and see for themselves whether a Turkish Cypriot could indeed become president.
He added that formulas were being sought that would provide security for one side without creating a perception of a threat for the other side.
Akinci also said that there was no link between the constitutional referendum process in Turkey and the Cyprus peace talks, as he said, the Greek Cypriot side is attempting to spread the impression that Turkish Cypriots cannot act before an April referendum and that the north will be more likely to compromise after the vote.
“We are telling the Greek Cypriots ‘we are looking to guarantee our equality, security and freedom, so don’t expect ours or Turkey’s position on these fundamental issues to change after the referendum,” he said.
