Cyprus Talks: Cyprus president sends letter to TRNC president demanding for the resumption of peace talks

Image source: In-Cyprus

The president of Cyprus (south), Nicos Anatastasiades has sent a six-page-long letter to TRNC president, Ersin Tartar calling on him to come to the negotiating table in a bid to reunite the divided island.

According to the exclusive report by Phileleftheros on Monday, the letter is dated May 23, 2022.

Anatastasiades specifically noted: “We must negotiate in what is possible and realistic and not in what is desirable but impossible to achieve”.

He then referred to new unacceptable ideas recently presented by the Turkish side such as a two-state solution and/or “sovereign equality”.

But he reassured that reunification efforts will satisfy the concerns of the Turkish side.

Anatastasiades gave as an example the positive vote, noting that he did not deny the existence of such a provision.

“Provided that a proposal submitted to the Council (of a reunited Cyprus) could adversely affect the vital interests of either the community or the constituent state,” he added.

Undoubtedly, he added, it goes without saying that there should be an effective deadlock mechanism.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when the then Greek junta tried to unite the island with Greece which caused Turkey to intervene due to the killing of the Turkish Cypriots in a war that ensued. Until now, the south side of the island is recongnized by the international community and also a member of the EU, while the north is only recognized by Turkey.