Front Page Headlines
Jab passports for all? Not yet
Though vaccinated travellers from Israel get special deal tourism focus will remain on island’s individuality.
- T. Cypriot leader: The parallels between current leader Ersin Tatar and Rauf Denktash
- Anti-corruption protests pass off peacefully in both Nicosia and Limassol
- Coffeeshop (Opinion): Hurray! Cyprob show scheduled to resume
The five-party fluid, exploratory talks up in the air
The summit has been decided for the last week of April. Nicosia concerned over its realisation.
- Turkey is trapping Europe through Cyprus
- Security Council: Resolution 2561 and the promotion of a ‘communitocracy’
- Gerhard Schröder: Turkey’s role in the new world order
- Historical retrospective: The ‘five-party summits’ between 1959-2021 and the timeless Turkish demands
- Andreas M. Vasiliou (Opinion): Controversial prophecies for a BBF
- Loria Markides: Turkey’s position for two states in Cyprus misleading
Doctor harasses drugged patient
There was a conviction against him but CyMA (Cyprus Medical Association) did not react. Police handed over the indictment to the doctor a few days ago and the case has now been brought before a court. The doctor claims that the 23-year-old, after she came to, was affectionate with him from her joy when he conveyed the good news to her, that is, that she is in good health. The same doctor, based on an existing decision, had admitted and was convicted a few years ago of indecent assault and sexual harassment of a 19-year-old.
- Asim Akansoy: “The powers of a solution should speak before it’s too late”
- Nikos Christodoulides: He suddenly remembered the basis for a solution
- Turkey: Erdogan’s thorns
- Logic prevailed: Mass demonstration without clashes in Nicosia
Games in ‘murky waters’
Ankara: Dialogue, impasse, faits accomplis, return to the procedure, imposition of faits accomplis. Tatar under double guardianship.
- Yiannakis Matsis: A new approach to the Cyprus Problem that will change the scene
- The UN aren’t burning for negotiations
- Turkish audacity and obstacle from USA
- Thousands of protesters in Nicosia: With strong messages and without complications
DISY paying for the Presidential Palace’s mistakes
The President is presenting one of the worst pictures, DISY is affected, but AKEL is not capitalising on it. Poll by Symmetron Market Research for ‘K’.
- Andreas Mavroyiannis: I do not exclude election talk from the outset
- Turkey: The EU’s presents on a tight rope
No to autarchy. Democracy is not being suspended
‘Enough’ to corruption and the arbitrariness of the government.
- Ozdil Nami: Many ‘games’ will follow if the ‘5+1’ meeting fails
We still have a long road ahead…
Under conditions we’ll reach a satisfactory level of vaccinations and immunity by June. It all depends on whether people aged 18 to 60 come en masse in early summer to get vaccinated. The magic number of 60% and even better 80% of the population, needs to be vaccinated to have herd immunity. Reduced coronavirus cases yesterday at 107.
- Political analysis: A breath away from a solution, a breath away from partition
- The EU should be represented at the Cyprus Problem summit, Anastasiades and Ursula agreed – The five-party during the holy week
- Everything went down smoothly: Yesterday’s demonstrations in Nicosia-Limassol peaceful
Main News
Mavroyiannis says decentralisation still within BBF framework
Alithia, Kathimerini, Politis, Phileleftheros
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
In an interview with Kathimerini, the GC chief negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis said President Anastasiades’ proposal for a higher degree of decentralisation does not deviate from the framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federation (BBF), which remains the pursuit of the GC side.
Mavroyiannis said the GC side is pursuing a BBF in line with UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, noting that both a two-state and a confederal solution are off the table.
Regarding the matter of political equality, Mavroyiannis said that the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ (UNSG) report in September 2017 essentially declared the matter solved, noting that how a matter that has been resolved is being posed as highly problematic is something only the Turkish side can explain. Mavroyiannis said that when the UNSG asked both sides to table new ideas that could help break the impasse, Anastasiades proposed a higher degree of decentralisation of competences to facilitate the functionality of the state and to entertain the concerns of the TCs, without deviating from Crans Montana convergences relating to political equality and effective participation. Mavroyiannis stressed that proposals involving decentralisation only serve to assist in finding a solution without deviating from a BBF framework.
But what Turkey is asking for, Mavroyiannis said, is joint decision-making on everything through the sovereign equality of two independent states which share a loose partnership through a cooperation contract that assigns very specific competences in a confederal framework. The greatest risk, Mavroyiannis added, is that at any point the contract could be suspended, collapsing the entire setup, and casting into doubt the existence of the state, as well as its EU and UN membership. Mavroyiannis said this is why sovereign equality will be the end of us.
Citing a diplomatic source, Politis reports that the GC side will prioritise efforts to delegitimise the TC side’s claim for political equality, which will leave little room for positive results at the five-party summit. The paper also reports that Turkey is also expecting the new Cyprob summit to collapse, and the question remains whether the GC side’s negotiating team will be able to block Turkey’s plans.
Phileleftheros reports that the UN were expected to officially announce the details of the five-party summit on Thursday evening, as everything had already been agreed upon and the UN had asked all involved parties to refrain from leaking any information until an official announcement is made. But the UNSG’s spokesperson then said that an official announcement will be issued at a later stage, with Phileleftheros claiming this indicates that the UN aren’t too eager for Cyprus Problem talks due to concerns that the current climate might even lead to an impasse on practical matters.
Commenting on the repeated delays in resuming Cyprob negotiations since early 2020, when discussions positioned a resumption of the peace process after the TC ‘elections’, Phileleftheros reports it is today clear that the GC side could not have done anything more than it already has, which was to wait for the UNSG to convene the informal summit whenever it will suit Ankara. The paper reports that recent weeks have shown that the Cyprob is moving along the lines of the intentions of Turkey, which is simultaneously seeking to make gains in matters relating to the EU.
Mavroyiannis told Kathimerini that though the date of the informal summit appears to have been set for the end of April, a development that is bringing relief to the GC side, the delay nevertheless remains a source of concern since it allows space for moves that could put the new process at risk, such as new energy-related operations by Turkey in the Cypriot EEZ.
Phileleftheros, citing information, reports that Turkey has placed the TC leader Ersin Tatar under the ‘joint custody’ of the north’s chief negotiator Ergun Olgun and ‘foreign minister’ Tahsin Ertugruloglu, due to his lack of experience. The paper writes that while it is well known that the Turkish Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu will be handling talks relating to Cyprob, Ankara is mainly concerned about Tatar’s handling of bilateral talks. The problem became evident during Tatar’s contacts with the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, when Tatar failed to convey all the issues Ankara had asked him to.
Politis reports that Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides refuted recent reports regarding a written British plan for the Cyprob. Citing statements issued to Alpha TV, Politis reports that Christodoulides clarified that there are some ideas that have been tabled by the UK, but stressed that the GC side will not be discussing anything that deviates from the agreed-upon framework. Politis, citing a source, reports that the UK took a more proactive role in the Cyprob process at the request of the GC side due to its diplomatic abilities and knowledge of the matter, with the UK therefore tabling a proposal that bridges the GC position in favour of a decentralised federation and the TC position in favour of sovereign equality.
Politis reports that the TC side has made practically no public statements regarding the British plan, which is however sowing division among the GC side. The paper writes that there are three camps within the GC side regarding the British plan: one considers the British plan bothersome and a cause of confusion, the second takes the plan as a good foundation, while the third says the plan is essentially a proposal for a confederal solution. Politis puts Christodoulides in the third camp.
Meanwhile, Alithia, citing a written statement by government spokesperson Kyriakos Koushos, reports that President Anastasiades and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen held a lengthy phone call on Saturday, during which both agreed on the need for EU representation at the informal summit and a substantive EU role in settlement efforts. Koushos said the two also discussed the upcoming European Council summit, where EU-Turkish relations are expected to be discussed, with Anastasiades stressing the need for Turkey to show in practice its publicly expressed wish for improved relations with the EU.
KEY ACTORS
Mavroyiannis
>> Anastasiades’ proposal for higher degree of decentralisation still within BBF framework, which the GC side is consistently pursuing.
>> Two-state and confederal models are not up for discussion.
>> Political equality is not a source of contention as it is being portrayed, since the matter was agreed upon in 2017.
>> Sovereign equality carries the risk of collapsing the new setup at any time, and will therefore be the end of us.
>> Delays in organisation of informal five-party summit source of concern as they provide time for potential actions by Turkey that could derail the whole endeavour, such as energy-related operations in the Cypriot EEZ.
CTP members warn of need to change current path
Haravgi, Politis
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
In an interview with Haravgi, former TC negotiator and current Republican Turkish Party (CTP) ‘deputy’ Ozdil Nami commented on the prospects of progress in the dormant peace process, warning that neither side sees any strong reason to change their currently divergent positions. Without better preparation, a ‘5+1’ meeting will end in failure, and many “games” will follow, he said.
Asked why Crans-Montana failed, Nami said when Antonio Guterres set out his framework of pending core issues, the UNSG had pointed out that these need to be finalised as part of a package of give-and-take. Although all sides initially accepted this, the GC leader Nicos Anastasiades then refused to follow through, instead demanding to know the Turkish side’s position on security and guarantees first before considering whether to satisfy other demands pending in the framework. Nami noted that this was not acceptable and so to get out of the deadlock, the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot sides came up with a proposal to give their final positions to the UNSG so he could arbitrate on the final text. Anastasiades refused and the conference was called to a close.
On ways to overcome the impasse, Nami highlighted that the problem was not so much the details of the peace plan, but the lack of political will. He acknowledged GC fears of a solution including Turkey’s regulatory role in security and said ways should be found to overcome those concerns. He proposed that the UNSG bring the two sides back to the negotiating table, on the agreement that talks start from where they left off in Crans-Montana, but for a limited period of time. If disagreements remain, the UN should arbitrate or another agreed deadlock-breaking mechanism needs to kick in after which the two communities would go to referenda. This time, the GC community should know that if they say ‘no’ again, the next round of negotiations would be for two states with normal, bilateral relations.
Meanwhile, Politis ran an interview with CTP ‘deputy’ Asim Akansoy where he echoed the view that the upcoming ‘5+1’ summit did not hold great prospects as there is simply no common ground.
On Varosha, he warned that with each day that passes, the status of the fenced-off town becomes increasingly that of a lost destination. He noted that the GC leadership’s lack of credibility on the issue of political equality has triggered reactions, and called on Anastasiades to express clearly to the public his positions on political equality.
Regarding proposals for a decentralised federation, Akansoy stressed the importance of a single sovereign structure in which secession is prohibited, noting that only in this way could a partnership relationship succeed. Naturally, problems will exist in a joint structure, but one cannot accept that with the first sign of trouble, one side will pack its bags and leave. At the same time, there is no culture of joint administration at present, he said, noting that there is no problem in transferring powers – beyond joint competences required by the EU – to the two states and turning the presidency into a more ceremonial post. Both CTP and former leader Mustafa Akinci had referred to such a scenario in the past, but still, a decentralised structure remains a federation, he reminded.
Akansoy criticised Anastasiades for not focusing on solving the Cyprus problem in his second term, instead taking the focus to the open seas where there are plenty of sharks. The result of the regional alliances and claims of sovereign rights over hydrocarbon resources have led to tension and uncertainty on the island. He suggested Anastasiades change his advisers on Turkish and TC policy as his current policies are not leading him to a solution but to a battle with sharks.
Regarding the incumbent TC leader Ersin Tatar’s two-state policy, Akansoy clarified that CTP’s position was in favour of operating within the framework of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and against the two-state model. The only model that can be accepted by both sides and which is in their interests is the BBF based on political equality. Therefore, it is time for the forces in favour of a solution on both sides to speak up before it is too late.
Asked what the future of TCs will be in case of another failure, Akansoy said the TCs will continue to work on building an autonomous system in the north to create a better life, despite the difficult conditions, with job opportunities for the youth, so that they may maintain their ties to Cyprus.
Regarding specific asks in the peace process, he noted that the TCs want to have strong political equality and security. The GC notion of an EU security framework is not very convincing. A mutually acceptable balance needs to be created on security that puts both sides at ease. A framework that does not take into consideration the concerns of the GCs cannot and should not be built, said Akansoy.
KEY ACTORS
Nami (CTP)
>> Better preparation needed to convince sides to change their positions ahead of ‘5+1’, else summit will fail.
>> Peace plan’s contents not the problem, but the lack of political will.
>> GCs fear BBF based on political equality with TC effective participation due to concerns over Turkey’s regulatory role in security. Efforts should be made to overcome these concerns.
>> Talks should resume from where they left off, but this time, option of returning to status quo in case of failure needs to be removed.
>> Talks should be for limited period of time, after which either UNSG arbitrates or other deadlock-breaking mechanism employed so peace plan goes to referenda.
>> If GCs reject peace plan again, next talks should be on two states with bilateral relations.
Akansoy (CTP)
>> No common ground ahead of informal summit.
>> GCs need to convince on political equality, failure is leading to loss of Varosha.
>> Decentralised federation possible but must build partnership on single sovereignty to ensure sides don’t seek to leave on first sign of trouble.
>> Anastasiades’ focus on EEZ over solution is leading to trouble.
>> TCs want strong political equality & security but GC concerns cannot be ignored.