Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci are to resume their negotiations in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland from November 20 to 22, according to an official statement from the Presidential Palace sent to press on Monday.
During last week’s Mont Pelerin-based talks (from November 7 to 11) a UN statement stated that both leaders made “significant progress” on the territorial issue.
Anastasiades and Akinci have reportedly reached an overall preliminary agreement on the territorial issue, agreeing on principles that will determine the territory delineation.
Among the principles discussed were population return, land percentages, and access to the coastline.
Upon his return to Cyprus, Anastasiades requested for talks to be postponed for a week in order to update each side’s domestic actors on what was discussed during the talks.
Akinci told Turkish Cypriot journalists upon his return to the island that the talks were “not over” and that he agreed on negotiations being postponed this week.
TURKEY THREATS
If negotiations fail, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stated that he is ready to annex the occupied areas to Turkey, reported New Europe.
“That threat will inevitably be seen as leverage for the Turkish Cypriot leader, who could demand security guarantees such as the continued presence of Turkish troops on the island. The Greek Cypriot side has made clear there will be no “land-for-security” exchange,” wrote New Europe.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, outlined on Sunday that the current Cyprus Problem negotiations “might be the last opportunity” for a solution to be reached.
Cavusoglu also said that, “we want five-party negotiations including Turkey, Greece and the UN.”
That statement prompted Russia’s Ambassador to Cyprus, Stanislav Osatsi, to say on Monday that a CyProb solution “must only be reached by the two sides on the island, without outside interference.”
TSIPRAS TALKS
Earlier on Monday, Cyprus Government Spokesperson Nikos Christodoulides tweeted that Anastasiades will visit Athens on Wednesday to update Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on the latest negotiations.
Tsipras will host US President Barack Obama on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the incumbent American leader, telling Kathimerini Greece before his visit that “prospects for a lasting settlement on Cyprus are the best we’ve seen in many years.”
BACKGROUND
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and illegally occupied its northern third.
Anastasiades and Akinci have been engaged in UN-led negotiations since May 2015, with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.
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