CYPRUS PRESIDENT: THOSE WHO IMPLY SLOWDOWN OF CYPRUS TALKS DUE TO ELECTIONS, COVER THEIR OWN POSITIONS
Those who imply that due to the elections in May there is supposedly a slowdown at the Cyprus talks, they do so to cover up their positions which strongly contradict the principles of law, President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades has stressed.
The President was invited on Friday to comment on statements made by Turkish President Tayip Erdogan that the Cyprus negotiations will resume in May and will be accelerated with the aim to reach a solution by the end of the year, implying that until the parliamentary elections in Cyprus in May there will be no developments at the Cyprus talks.
President Anastasiades replied that this will not happen due to the Greek Cypriot stance, and stressed that `those who invoke that due to the elections there is supposedly a slowdown, they do so to cover up their positions which strongly contradict the principles of law. “
The President was also asked about Cyprus` exit from its economic adjustment programme, that officially ended yesterday.
It is indeed a success, he said, but added that but there are no grounds for complacency and we must learn from the mistakes of the past.
In statements on the sidelines of the doxology on the occasion of the anniversary of the anti-colonial liberation struggle of 1955-1959, the President said that today we pay respect to those who fought for freedom and `allowed us, even if the ultimate goal was not achieved, to create a country with protection of human rights and with an internationally strong presence`.
To fully repay this debt, he pointed out, we have to restore the unity of our state, liberate ourselves from the Turkish occupation and create circumstances of a truly European state, with respect to the human rights of all its inhabitants.
The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state since 2004, is divided by Turkish troops since the Turkish invasion in 1974. UN led talks, aiming at reunifying the island under a federal political system, resumed in May 2015. The next meetings between the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus President Anastasiades and T/c leader Mustafa Akinci have been scheduled for April 18 and 25 and for May 9, 2016. The parliamentary elections in Cyprus will take place on the 22 May 2016.
Turkey still occupies 37% of Cyprus` territory and refuses to withdraw its troops despite numerous resolutions and decisions by international organisations and Courts.
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