Andreas Pimpisis
The move of the Greek Cypriot side by promoting confidence-building measures is causing unrest in the occupied territories, as the Turkish Cypriot community appears divided. The leadership of the Turkish Cypriots has a negative attitude towards the Greek Cypriot MOE, while on the other hand the Turkish Cypriot left appears supportive and demands that they be discussed in a positive mood. Nicosia, for its part, is trying to win the support of Europeans, who have called for the promotion of MOE in exchange for measures against Turkey.
President Anastasiadis, who was in Brest, France for the international meeting organized by the French President, seized the opportunity to meet with Charles Michel. Aim to inform the President of the European Council of the MOEs he proposes. Measures aimed at cultivating a positive climate that facilitates the preparation of the ground for the resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus issue within the framework of agreed UN parameters and, on the other hand, the cessation of Turkish illegal activities on land and at sea Cyprus and its people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, for the wider region and the European Union itself.
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According to Government Spokesman Mario Pelekano, President Anastasiadis asked for EU assistance in promoting and implementing these Confidence-Building Measures, which, he said, are also supported by Turkish Cypriot-organized groups, while at the same time encouraging for the resolution of the Cyprus problem, which are certainly complementary to the Good Services of the UN Secretary General.
They see them as propaganda
Realizing that the proposal of the Greek Cypriot side will gain support within the European and international community, the Turkish Cypriot side began to take a stronger stance against the MOE. Osman Ertug, an adviser to the Turkish Cypriot leader, spoke of “propaganda that is far from serious”. An attitude that moves in the logic of prevention, since, as Ertug said, President Anastasiadis, according to information, is preparing a letter to Ersin Tatar to propose MOEs that will revolve around the delivery axis of the enclosed city of Varos, in exchange to take control of the “airport” in Tympos under United Nations control.
A proposal which, as is well known, has not yet been submitted to the Turkish Cypriot side or to the United Nations, although its content had been proposed on several occasions by President Anastasiadis. Relevant reports on UNHCR are included in the last letter he sent to the UN Secretary General.
According to Ertug (source of GTP) with this “so-called proposal”, in his expression, the Greek Cypriot side requests the “airport” and the port of Famagusta through the United Nations and Varosi through the EU. He claimed that there is absolutely no guarantee that tomorrow they will not close again the “airport” in Tympos and the port of Famagusta, something that should not be overlooked, as he stated.
Noting that it is not possible to take seriously “completely artificial approaches that try to create impressions”, Mr. Ertug said that as much as President Anastasiadis and Foreign Minister Kasoulides insist, this proposal “is a propaganda exercise that can is far from serious. ” He said that this issue is not new and that what is now called MOE had first appeared on the agenda in 1981 as part of an approach known as “Goodwill Measures” and added that he did not even remember how many times table. He even claimed that the Greek Cypriot side is the one that always rejected the proposal “Press against Varos”.
Reactions from within
In contrast to the leadership of the occupying regime, the Turkish Cypriot left is not opposed to the proposal of the Greek Cypriot side and especially to the proposal “Varosi vs. Typos”. The president of the so-called “civil servants' union” (KTAMS) Guven Benginhan argued (source GTP) that the proposal to open the now illegal airport in the occupied Tympos should be seriously discussed. In a written statement, Mr. Benginghan stated that it is an attitude that is far from honest and will weaken the Turkish side the rejection of this proposal without evaluation, which is an important step to break the “embargo” that the Turkish Cypriot community complains that she has been crushed for years. The financial situation is getting worse every day, he added. “The only way out for the Turkish Cypriots, who are losing the ability to govern themselves politically with a foreign-dependent edifice, is to be included in international law with a mutually acceptable solution under the roof of the bi-communal bi-communal federation. “The events that are being experienced in the last days in our country have shown this reality once again,” he said.
Mr. Benginhan called on the “authorities” to act responsibly in order to implement confidence-building measures that will contribute positively to finding a solution and at the same time are economically important for the Turkish Cypriots.
The attitude of RTK is supportive
The main axis of the Turkish Cypriot left, the Republican Turkish Party, is positioned in a way that is considered helpful in the position of the Greek Cypriot side. The RTC (source at Geni Duzen / GTP) is in favor of holding diplomatic consultations at the United Nations and the European Union on Confidence Building Measures. In a written statement issued Thursday, the CTP (CTP) notes that instead of rejecting the new MOEs, which it claims include the enclosed Varosi, the port of occupied Famagusta, the “airport” in Tympos and the sharing of hydrocarbons, to consult with political parties and partners.
While arguing that the UN and the EU have a strong responsibility to build these measures in the context of the federal solution and on a bi-communal axis, the CTP points out that the enclosed Varosi, the port of occupied Famagusta, the “airport” in Tympos and the sharing of hydrocarbons are very important both for building mutual trust between the communities and achieving their unification, as well as for the economic development of the northern and occupied jumping over the instability caused on both sides by the existing status quo.
