Slovenia wants reunified Cyprus

President of Slovenia Janez Drnovsek described the division of Cyprus, an EU member state, as the result of a violent act, noting his country would like to see a reunified country as soon as possible.

He also said that “a just situation needs to be developed and prepared and the injustices that have happened have to be abolished. This is the only way to reach a stable solution that will be acceptable for the people of Cyprus”.

Drnovsek was speaking after a press conference following talks with Cypriot President of the Republic Tassos Papadopoulos and delegations from both countries at Brdo castle outside the Slovenian capital.

Papadopoulos said that Cyprus supports Turkey’s EU orientation, provided that it fulfils the obligations deriving from the Ankara protocol.

The Cypriot president also thanked Slovenia for its positions on Cyprus and congratulated it for its achievements, being the first EU country since the 2004 enlargement to adopt the Euro.

In his statements Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek said that “Cyprus and Slovenia share very close and friendly links, especially through the process of joining the EU and common rapprochement”, noting the two are “trying to continue these relations”.

He said they paid “special attention to the Cyprus issue which continues to be unresolved and this is a problem both for Cyprus and the EU, which would want the issue to be resolved as soon as possible”.

He also said they discussed other topics, such as the situation in south-eastern Europe and the constitution in the EU.

The two leaders, as he added, also discussed economic links between the two countries noting his country would “like to exploit and expand the possibilities that are there” in Cyprus.

As regards the Cyprus issue, the Slovenian President said “we perfectly agree with the position of Cyprus and the President who is trying to achieve a just solution after long years of occupation of part of the island.”

”We would all like to see Cyprus reunified as soon as possible and the situation normalised, however it is difficult. Today’s situation, the division, was caused by a violent act a couple of decades ago, and that is why we should not accept it as something which goes without saying…a just situation needs to be developed and prepared and the injustices that have happened have to be abolished. This is the only way to reach a stable solution that will be acceptable for the people of Cyprus”, Drnovsek added.

On his part, President Papadopoulos expressed Cyprus’ gratitude for Slovenia’s firm policy of principles and position on Cyprus, noting that it is the first country from the 10 new member states which assumes the EU presidency in 2008 and it was the first country which adopted the Euro.

Noting “we have a lot to learn from Slovenia”, President Papadopoulos congratulated the country for its achievements and expressed the hope that with this visit “a new era will start in closer cooperation in the field of business, tourism and culture”.

Referring to the Cyprus problem, the Slovenian President described it as “difficult”, noting that the international community has been following it for a long time now “unfortunately without success”.

He said that if there “is a window of opportunity during the Slovenian EU presidency, we should work on it to move things forward. That is why we support a just principle for this problem”, he added.

On Turkey’s EU course, President Papadopoulos said “we support the orientation and progress of Turkey to the EU, on one important condition, provided that Turkey will fulfill all its obligations towards the EU and complies with the conditions the EU has set out for every other applicant state.”

“It is a paradoxical situation that Turkey does not recognise us unless it wants our vote”, the President said, noting that Turkey is violating the obligations undertaken within the framework agreement which it has signed with the EU and the conditions laid down in December 2004, when Cyprus agreed to accept Turkey to start negotiations for EU membership.

The Cypriot President said “there is a lesson to be drawn concerning the last proposal of the SG, the so called Annan plan for a solution on Cyprus. The obligation which Turkey would have undertaken in the Annan Plan would have been performed in the span of 18 -21 years”.

He said Turkey has failed to implement the obligations it has undertaken in 2004 to confirm, ratify and implement the so called Ankara protocol. “It is therefore not surprising that Greek Cypriots rejected the Annan Plan where Turkey would have had to perform its obligations in 18-20 years” when it failed to implement those since 2004, he added.

The President also said that problems which are led to drag on, create more obligations and fait accompli. We are very keen”, he added, to “see a new round of negotiations and I refer to my meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat in the presence of Imbrahim Gambari, the UN Undersecretary General, achieved just that. The framework for a new round of talks should start as soon as possible. However this was not possible because of the Turkish Cypriot side.”

The President said the five permanent members of the Security Council have urged the Turkish Cypriot side to proceed with the process.

Asked by CNA if he can give Slovenia’s experience from adopting the Euro, the Slovenian President said that “Slovenia accepted the Euro very well, it was a normality. It was just money we changed”. Noting that this is a technicality that was manageable, Drnovsek said that fears that the Euro would bring increase in prices were not justified “and I wish the same will happen in Cyprus”.

Invited to comment on the recent statements by the German foreign Minister that other criteria will have to be considered before Cyprus adopts the Euro next year, President Papadopoulos said that Cyprus received assurances by the chairman of the German Central Bank that the only criteria required will be economic and nothing else.

He also said that the German Embassy in Cyprus issued a statement “explaining its position so I hope this will be the case for Cyprus and will not open up the box of Pandora and allow other kinds of considerations to be injected into countries’ obligations to adopt the Euro”.

After the talks the President attended an official luncheon given in his honour by Drnovsek.

Later on the President visited the National Assembly of Slovenia for a meeting with its President France Cukati and talks between delegations from the two countries.