In a written response on Saturday, Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said that in his meeting on Friday with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu it was reiterated that President Nicos Anastasiades had referred to a two-state solution on multiple occasions.
Akinci also wished to remind the public that during Friday’s press conference with Cavusoglu both referred to their willingness to work towards a solution and their opposition to the continuation of the status quo.
This can be achieved through negotiations within the UN framework, he said.
Akinci added that Cavusoglu agreed on the necessity of political equality, and that a basic prerequisite for the resumption of talks is that they are not open-ended.
Throughout the years, Anastasiades has referred to various models for a solution, including a two-state solution, a confederation, a loose federation and a decentralised federation, the Turkish Cypriot leader said.
Though Anastasiades has claimed that he was not exactly referring to a two-state solution or to a loose federation, Akinci added, it is not possible that at the same time he is attempting to mislead everyone’s memory.
Akinci called on Anastasiades to clearly state what his wishes are for the Greek Cypriot community and to do away with the confusion that he has caused.
If there are new ideas, these must be tabled and discussed, he added.
His comments came hours after government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said those made by Akinci and Cavusoglu made no sense ahead of the visit of UN envoy Jane Holl Lute to the island to facilitate an agreement on the terms of reference for restarting Cyprus talks.
Prodromou reiterated an appeal by president Nicos Anastasiades, who on Friday called on the Turkish side to clearly state its position with regard to a Cyprus solution.
At an event in Ormidhia on Friday night, the president said Akinci’s memory “was deceiving him”, while the Turkish Cypriot leader called on Anastasiades to meet informally to clarify his alleged comments.
Anastasiades replied on Friday that the Turkish side should name what it wants with regard to a Cyprus settlement: “I dare them to come out and say what their written proposals were to the six points set out by the Secretary-General.”
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Prodromou said on Saturday that “I want to remind them that we are in the middle of an initiative by UN Secretary-General, with the dispatch of his envoy Jane Holl Lute, for the resumption of settlement talks.
“Within this framework, statements made on Friday by the Turkish side make no sense,” Prodromou said.
