Nicosia, Cyprus. Former Greek Cypriot chief negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis said the Greek Cypriot side’s acceptance of a bicommunal federation after the 1974 Turkish invasion was its “greatest concession” in pursuit of a Cyprus settlement.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Mavroyiannis said the compromise was made with the expectation of progress on territory, security, the withdrawal of Turkish troops, refugees and property issues.
Negotiating record
Mavroyiannis served as Greek Cypriot chief negotiator from 2013 to 2022 and was a member of negotiating teams under former presidents Glafcos Clerides and Tassos Papadopoulos.
He said the strategy of waiting for more favourable conditions, often described as the “long struggle”, had failed, as changing facts on the ground had made a settlement more difficult over time.
“We were always overcome by fear and a lack of boldness, and it usually took us time to understand developments and reach the point where we were ready to move forward,” he said.
Federalism and expectations
Despite what he described as the trauma of the invasion and occupation, Mavroyiannis said the Greek Cypriot side had made an exceptionally significant concession by accepting federalism.
He said the process began with the 1977 Makarios-Denktash high-level agreement, under which the Greek Cypriot side accepted the concept of a bicommunal federation. By the end of the 1980s, negotiations had developed towards a bizonal, bicommunal federation.
“This was the greatest concession made by the Greek Cypriot side,” he said.
“But it was made on the understanding that in return we expected the withdrawal of Turkish troops, territorial readjustments, the return of refugees, a settlement of the property issue and so on.”
Comprehensive settlement
Mavroyiannis said negotiations for decades concentrated on governance while security guarantees and the withdrawal of Turkish troops remained largely unaddressed until the Geneva and Crans-Montana talks in 2017.
“For the first time since 1974 we discussed the entire package,” he said, arguing that a viable settlement could only result from a comprehensive agreement addressing the main concerns of both communities.
