TRANSCRIPT
Interview with Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades
by Esra Aygin
Havadis – Published in Turkish on 13 May
2014
Question:
In the early 2000s you stood against the whole political structure in the
southern part of Cyprus and advocated a ‘yes’ vote for the Annan Plan. After
becoming the President you took political risks at the expense of losing your
coalition partner for a federal solution in Cyprus. But what is going on now
Mr. Anastasiades? You don’t seem to be in a great hurry. Is there a decrease in
your commitment, determination or political will?
Anastasiades:
There is a saying in Greek. That who hurries,
falls. There is no decrease in our determination. We want to solve the Cyprus
problem in the shortest possible time and our commitment continues.
However there needs to be a good
preparation on both sides for the dialogue to yield results. Believe me, it is
not important how many times you meet in a wee. The important thing is the
substance and quality of the negotiations. What concerns me more is the fact
that we have not taken any steps for substantial confidence building measures.
This concerns me. These measures would increase the trust of Greek Cypriots in
Turkey and Turkish Cypriots and the trust of Turkish Cypriots in Greek
Cypriots.
The confidence building proposals I put
forward are not for one side to win and the other side to lose. They are very
balanced proposals and are aimed at raising people’s faith that there is really
something going on in negotiations.
Question:
Are you talking about your Varosha proposal? Opening Varosha, Turkey
normalising its relations with the Cyprus Republic, Cyprus Republic lifting its
veto against the opening of negotiating chapters of Turkey’s accession process
and opening the Famagusta port under EU control… The Turkish side argues that
opening Varosha would take too much time, energy and effort and divert us from
the comprehensive solution negotiations. Do you not agree with this argument?
Anastasiades:
I fully disagree. Decision will be taken, decided
at once and by the leaders. After an agreement over Varosha a bi-communal
technical committee can handle the issue in parallel with the comprehensive
negotiations.
It will not affect in any way the
negotiations. It’s not for the leaders to reconstruct the city… With this
decision the administration of Varosha will be handed to the UN. The second is
that before the reconstruction we need a report about the infrastructure and
what is needed. The next step is the reconstruction of the city. Can you
imagine the results out of by giving the chance to Greek and Turkish Cypriots to
work together? They will work together and reconstruct this city. They will
work together and find out how much productive it is to work together and to
have the benefits of being together.
Question:
Do your interlocutors at the UN, Europe and the United States support your
Varosha proposal?
Anastasiades:
Yes definitely. Of course the issue is there should
be a consensus.
Question:
Do you think it is possible to convince the Turkish side?
Anastasiades:
For the time being it seems that there is a
negative attitude by the Turkish Cypriot leadership. Lets hope that will
change.
Question:
How about Turkey?
Anastasiades: For the time being there is no indication. Lets hope that in the
coming weeks we will have something.
Question:
What if your proposal is rejected? Is this the only way to move forward?
Anastasiades: No we are negotiating with good will. While at the same time what I
am trying to do is to give as I told you a new dynamic to intercommunal
dialogue.
Question:
Don’t you think that the fact that you don’t accept the convergences reached
until now in the Cyprus solution negotiations is giving an opportunity to the
Turkish Cypriot leadership to drag its feet?
Anastasiades: Look, from the moment the Annan plan was rejected by 76 per cent
you understand that there are certain convergences which unless are going to be
renegotiated the Greek Cypriot community once again will argue against any such
plan. Secondly, and I am not talking about the convergences only between
2008-2012 but all those that have been considered as convergences throughout
the protracted negotiations are not in total rejected. So we are not trying to
start from the very beginning. There are few convergences, which are not
accepted even by Turkish Cypriot side.
Question:
But maybe they diverge from agreements because you don’t agree with them?
Anastasiades: Some of those convergences are seen that are not accepted by the
majority and what I am trying to do is to see if we can find some alternatives
or alternative proposals or solution which will be on a win-win situation
taking into consideration the concerns of the Greek Cypriots and without
ignoring the concerns of the Turkish Cypriots. So our effort should be
concentrated on how we can best accommodate the concerns of both communities.
We need a win-win solution in order to give to the people the chance to minimise
the feeling of unjusticeness. Otherwise its not going to work. And this is what
I am trying.
Question:
For example rotating presidency has been accepted by both sides for many years.
But you are rejecting this. Why are you against rotating presidency?
Anastasiades: I can give you a dozens of counter proposals, which will
accommodate each and every ones concern. I have some better proposals which are
going to give a much more workable solution. But I don’t want to disclose my
thoughts.
Question:
What was the main problem that made 76 per cent say no to Annan Plan and should
be fixed?
Anastasiades: The survey we carried out showed that the reasons the first and
above all was the mistrust that Turkey will implement or the Turkish side will
not implement the agreement and we shall have the dissolution of the Cyprus
republic and not implement the new one and it means that we are empty handed
you see.
This is why I place so much importance in
building trust towards Turkey. First is to build trust.
Question:
One of the main concerns of the Turkish Cypriot side is that the Greek Cypriot
side does not really believe in political equality and does not want to share
power with the Turkish Cypriots. Do you personally believe in political
equality?
Anastasiades: Of course I do. First of all there is political equality in all of
the 24 federations around the world. There is no federation without political
equality. The joint statement is very clear on this. We have accepted that
there is going to be an internal citizenship for those who will be citizens of
the federal republic, the state is going
to be composed of two constituent states and all the details all the other provisions
of the joint statement are giving enough ground to trust that we mean business.
We are committed to what we have agreed. That
we shall safeguard the political equality through the constitution and through
the various legislation. Therefore I don’t think that there is ground for this lack
of confidence.
Question:
Are we running late for energy cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean with
Turkey and Israel?
Anastasiades: We are running to late in finding a solution. We are negotiating
for 40 years. Isn’t it a high time to work sincerely in finding a solution
having as an incentive amongst others the hydrocarbon or energy? In case of a
solution the natural resources is going to belong to the state and the state is
going to be a federal state of Turkish and Greek Cypriots. And the share will
be equitable. Instead of getting this
incentive and which is serving the national interests of Turkey why do we have
to keep unresolved the Cyprus issue what is what interests are we serving by
keeping it open? It is against the Turkish Cypriots it is against the Greek
Cypriots it is against Turkey. Is it not a high time for peace and prosperity?
Question:
Who is preventing this?
Anastasiades: Look we mean business. We want a solution to the Cyprus problem in
the shortest possible time. What I am trying to do is to normalise relations
and create a new constructive climate. There are enough negative statements and
actions. We have to avoid all statements and actions that increase mistrust. I
do not want to get into a blame game. We have to avoid statements that would
create a negative climate. On both sides.
Question:
Are you hopeful that this time we will reach a solution?
Anastasiades: If we lose our optimism or our hope that would be the end.
Question:
What if there is no solution this time either. What do you see in our future?
Anastasiades: I could not see any kind of prosperous future. The only thing I can
anticipate is that we are going and when I say we Turkish and Greek Cypriots
will pay the bill and they will suffer. We have to work sincerely and always
try to be fair to each other. Otherwise if we ignore the concerns of the people
then we shall fail.
Question:
What kind of a country do you want to leave behind as you leave this post?
Anastasiades: A land of peace and prosperity for all the people the lawful
inhabitants of this paradise, which has been turned into hell due to our
stupidness.
Question:
Would you like to add anything?
Anastasiades: My message to my compatriot Turkish Cypriots is that they have to
trust me and they have to trust the Greek Cypriots that they want a solution
they want the soonest possible to find a final settlement based on concrete
principles and these principles are the European principles. We are going to be
a part of the European structure. Neither side may violate the EU rules and in
extension the human rights of the other. The human rights are well protected within
the EU and there is no discrimination between Greek Cypriots and Turkish
Cypriots. Indiscriminately each one
should respect the other. And this is the main principle of the EU.
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