Christodoulides says return of Morphou is non-negotiable in Cyprus settlement

Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides said he is ready to make certain concessions in a Cyprus settlement, but that the return of Morphou is “non-negotiable”.

Conditions for concessions

Speaking at the 46th anti-occupation event organised by Morphou municipality on Saturday night, Christodoulides described himself as primarily a realist and acknowledged the limitations of the Greek Cypriot side.

He said concessions would be made only on points serving a “functional and sustainable” solution, and that anything outside that framework “could not be accepted”. He ruled out actions intended to create “temporary mobility” or “false hopes”.

Commitment to Morphou’s return

Christodoulides said the negotiating acquis includes the return of Morphou, a position he said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had himself indicated.

“The government supports this aim and will not abandon it,” he said.

He described his mandate as being to “turn the Republic into a modern state, sovereign across its territory, without an occupying army or guarantors with intervention rights”.

He said he would continue working with political parties to use the “last glimmer of hope”.

Background to the territorial issue

Morphou, a citrus-growing town west of Nicosia, remains an emotive issue for Greek Cypriots, many of whom regard failure to return it as a dealbreaker.

Before the Turkish invasion of 1974, some 6,500 Greek Cypriots lived there, compared with about 30,000 Turkish Cypriots today.

The 2002–2004 Annan Plan provided for the return of Morphou and surrounding villages to Greek Cypriot administration, but not the district’s coastline.