‘GCs ready for negotiations on Cyprus issue immediately’

The Greek Cypriot side is ready for negotiations, even tomorrow, on the condition that the basis of any initiative must be under the agreed framework and the decisions of the Security Council, deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou said on Sunday.

According to a presidency press release, speaking to the press after the memorial service in Aglandjia, Antoniou was asked about the upcoming meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and the UN Secretary-General where he said “the president of the Republic is ready, has conveyed this readiness, and will discuss with the UN Secretary-General the next steps, what Mr Antonio Guterres himself is thinking, and we will respond accordingly.”

“The Greek Cypriot side is ready for negotiations, even tomorrow, on the condition that the basis of any initiative must be the agreed framework and the decisions of the Security Council because, for us, any effort that serves any other objective—whether it is for two states, sovereign equality, or the conditions that Mr (Ersin) Tatar promotes, such as direct flights, direct contacts, and direct trade—cannot be accepted,” he added.

“We are cautiously optimistic,” he said, yet “we are realists” adding that the “other side leaves little room for optimism, but we have an obligation to exhaust every negotiating possibility.”

He also said that the passage of time creates and solidifies the faits accomplis on the ground, as well as in people’s minds. “As we move further away from 1974, entirely new conditions are being created. We are realists and want to take advantage of every opportunity available, or even create one if it doesn’t exist, hence the initiative before us is based on our own actions. The situation is difficult, but we will strive for the best,” he said.