Cypriots have the right to determine their own fate, president says

Cypriots have the right to determine their own fate in an independent state, President Nicos Anastasiades said on Friday, adding that the country to be passed on to the next generation should have sound foundations, guaranteeing a secure future in a prosperous country with a European identity.

Speaking at an event he hosted at the Presidential Palace, with his wife, Andri Anastasiades, in honour of the Cyprus Children’s Fund, Anastasiades said that in order to achieve this, the Cyprus problem must be solved.

“Over the next few days, a new effort by the UN Secretary-General will culminate, with the visit to Cyprus of his envoy,” Jane Holl Lute, the President said, adding that he had assured Antonio Guterres and his associates that he was “ready to continue the effort, to determine the terms of reference that are a precondition for the creation of possibilities for an effective dialogue.”

In this respect, he said, the preparation requested by the UN Secretary-General is a crucial part of the developments to come.

“We have every right, as Cypriot citizens, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, to determine our own fate in an independent, sovereign state, fully harmonised with the EU principles, with the protection of all the citizens,” he said.

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.