Government says Cyprus talks are returning to substantive issues

Letymbou, Cyprus. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Sunday that renewed diplomatic activity has created a prospect of returning to the substantive issues of the Cyprus problem.

He made the remarks at a memorial service for five men from Letymbou in the Paphos district who died for the Greek Cypriot cause between the 1930s and the 1970s.

Call for unity

Letymbiotis said the sacrifice of the men was “a wake-up call and a compass of unity”.

“Freedom and justice require national unity, clear orientation, a plan, and relentless effort,” he said, adding that the Greek Cypriot side was pursuing this approach with “a plan, consistency, and political will”.

He said President Nikos Christodoulides had made the resumption of negotiations his highest national priority since taking office in 2023.

UN engagement

Letymbiotis pointed to the appointment of Maria Angela Holguin as the United Nations’ Cyprus problem envoy, enlarged meetings in Geneva and New York last year, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ visit to Cyprus last month.

He said Guterres’ announcement that he would convene another enlarged meeting after adequate progress on confidence-building measures, the meeting’s methodology and the substance of talks created “a clear prospect of returning to the substance of the Cyprus problem”.

“The new mobility has a clear political content and a specific basis,” he said, adding that the starting point remained UN Security Council resolutions, the agreed framework and convergences reached up to the Crans-Montana talks in 2017.

EU role

Letymbiotis said time would not legitimise the “faits accomplis of the invasion” or conceal the pursuit of partition.

He said the government had sought to make the European Union an active factor in the UN effort, citing European Council conclusions, the connection between EU-Turkey relations and progress on the Cyprus problem, and the appointment of Raffaele Fitto as the European Commission’s Cyprus problem envoy.

He said European prospects and the continuation of occupation were politically incompatible for Turkey, adding that any substantial upgrade in relations with the EU required respect for international and European law and for Cyprus as a full EU member state.

Strengthening Cyprus

Letymbiotis said the Republic of Cyprus was being strengthened diplomatically, economically and defensively.

“Strengthening our homeland is a multiplier of our negotiating power and the foundation of an active foreign policy,” he said.