Demetriou urges restraint and diplomacy on Cyprus problem

Nicosia, Cyprus. House President Annita Demetriou said on Monday that fewer public statements should be made on the Cyprus problem, arguing that diplomacy should be allowed to work.

Call for substantive negotiations

Speaking after the day’s National Council meeting, Demetriou said the current period required responsibility and efforts to use a window of opportunity to begin substantive negotiations for a solution within the agreed framework.

She said the aim should also be to safeguard convergences already reached.

Demetriou said negotiations must be conducted on the basis of United Nations resolutions and European principles and values.

Diplomatic approach

“The Cyprus issue is neither suitable for political games, nor for patriotic one-upmanship,” she said, adding that it requires composure, responsibility and hard work.

Asked whether she was optimistic about developments, Demetriou said progress depended not on optimism but on hard work and careful diplomatic moves.

She said the goal was achievable provided correct and careful diplomatic steps were taken, and that this was what the Greek Cypriot side should seek.

Regional developments

Demetriou said specific moves were being made in the right direction, citing developments in relations between the European Union and Turkey and broader regional developments.

“The Cyprus issue can never be examined in isolation,” she said, adding that it is linked to those developments.

She said the period was critical and that efforts should be made to use the current timeframe to move one step closer to the desired goal.