The Cyprus problem could be resolved with the political will for compromise and having international law as the guide, Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras said on Wednesday, noting that this approach worked in the case of the name dispute over Macedonia.
He was speaking to the press prior to a meeting on Wednesday morning with President Nicos Anastasiades, at the Presidential Palace. The meeting aimed at coordinating the actions of Nicosia and Athens on the Cyprus problem, ahead of Tsipras’ visit to Turkey, next week, where he will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Tsipras, who is on the island for the Southern European Union summit held in Nicosia on Tuesday, discussed the Cyprus problem with Anastasiades as well as the Prespes agreement, between Athens and Skopje, that resolved the Macedonia name dispute.
Anastasiades is to meet with the UN Secretary General’s envoy on Cyprus, Jane Holl Lute, on Sunday. Lute will hold separate meetings with Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci on that day with a view to reaching an agreement on the terms of reference that will pave the way for the resumption of the Cyprus talks.
Anastasiades said after his meeting with Tsipras that they discussed the latest developments on the Cyprus problem ahead of the two meetings and the two countries’ next moves.
He said that Cyprus and Greece want to achieve “a settlement that finally allows for peaceful coexistence, stability.” He added that the solution should fully comply with European principles and values, international law, so as to guarantee its functionality and viability but also compatibility with international law and the European acquis.
During the meeting, Anastasiades and Tsipras also discussed the Prespes agreement that was ratified by the Greek Parliament last Friday. Anastasiades congratulated Tsipras for his “courage and determination”, to secure the agreement , which would pave the way for peace and stability in the Balkans and allow closer economic cooperation between Greece and North Macedonia.
The agreement, Anastasiades said, “testifies that when there is courage and pragmatism, especially dialogue, and when logic prevails instead of emotion, there is a prospect of ending conflicts.”
In any case, he said, “the name (Macedonia) had been used since 1992 and I have the impression that we should at some point overcome emotions that are unrelated to reality.”
Tsipras said that the issue was resolved, due to will, compromise and having the international law as guide. The same, he said, could also be done in the case of Cyprus.
“Because when a country has the international law as its main weapon and proves on the basis of international law that it can show the maturity for honest compromise, it has the external testimony that it wants a solution to the big issues it has before it. (That) It is others who do not want that or are avoiding it,” Tsipras said.
“This is an important development, and I think it will help our efforts to claim within the international community, the UN, a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem.”
He also thanked Anastasiades for the organisation of the Southern European Union summit (Med-7) adding that the unity of the countries of the European South was very important for Europe.
The fifth Med-7 Summit organised in Cyprus, he said, coincided with a period of difficulties in the wider region.
“Unfortunately, our region is very destabilized and Cyprus has proved, along with Greece, of course, but also all the countries of the EU, that it is fighting for stability, it is a stable pillar in the region and we are committed advocates of the peaceful settlement of disputes between countries,” he said.
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