President vows to break talks deadlock

President Nikos Christodoulides said he would do “everything possible” to break Cyprus talks deadlock and restart UN-led negotiations from where they broke off in July 2017.

He made the remark on Thursday after the memorial service for the fallen soldiers on the 49th anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion at the military cemetery in Nicosia.

“This is a day of remembrance, honour, and reflection”, said Christodoulides.

“We must promise to all those who sacrificed themselves for the Republic of Cyprus, its independence, and territorial integrity, that we will do everything possible to reverse the current abnormal situation and give meaning to their sacrifice through the reunification of our homeland.”

He said that despite the difficulties, challenges, and problems, “we are here and are doing everything possible to break the deadlock and restart substantive negotiations from where they left off in the summer of 2017.”

“Specific initiatives have been taken, particularly by certain EU member states, and we hope that positive results will emerge soon”.

On whether conditions exist to resume talks, President Christodoulides said he heard the statements of the Turkish Cypriot leader and expected more rhetoric during Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the occupied north on Thursday.

“I do not wish to engage in a public dialogue of accusations, criticism, which may please some ears but have nothing to offer the main goal, which is how we honour the sacrifice of all these people by overturning the current state of affairs”.

He argued that rhetoric certainly has its importance and should not be underestimated, but the Cyprus issue will be resolved through negotiations, and that is where the government’s attention is focused.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.

Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results.

The last round of negotiations, in July 2017, at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.