Geneva will reveal president’s stance, govt tells opposition

President Nicos Anastasiades’ response to criticism from opposition parties on the way he is handling the Cyprus problem will be given in Geneva, government spokesman Kyriacos Koushos said on Wednesday.

He was responding to criticism by the leaders of Akel and Diko who in separate statements said the president lacked credibility and if he did not change his stance, he would contribute to the island’s partition.

Akel leader Andros Kyprianou said on Wednesday that if Anastasiades continues to handle the issue the way he has been, the island’s final partition was “a matter of time”.

“First and foremost because he has lost his credibility internationally, and secondly, because he fails to realise that 3.5 years have passed, causing huge problems in terms of a solution,” Kyprianou said.

He added that the first goal at Geneva is to create conditions to allow the resumption of negotiations. “If this goal is not achievable then the second goal should be for the responsibility for the impasse to be on the Turkish side, so that we are not blamed,” Kyprianou said.

Diko leader Nicolas Papadopoulos too said Anastasiades has lost his credibility and questioned the timing of the resurfacing of the issue over whether the president had proposed a two-state solution to the Turkish side.

On Monday, Anastasiades said he had no objection if Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu wanted to publish their conversation in Crans-Montana in 2017 during which the president allegedly referred to the possibility of a two-state solution.

He said that the Greek Cypriot side has never accepted discussing a two-state solution and it too had recorded that discussion and, after getting hold of the Turkish side’s recording and comparing the transcript, it was found that it was similar with that of the Greek Cypriot side.

“The mere fact that the president is forced to invoke a recorded conversation to convince that he has not talked about two states says a lot,” Papadopoulos said, calling on Anastasiades to make that recording public.

He said this would prove to the international community that all the rumours that he is willing to discuss two states or a confederation were not true.

“As long as he does not do so, the credibility issue will remain and unfortunately all those who want to change the basis for a solution to the Cyprus problem will continue on this path,” he added.

Koushos said that Diko and Akel were continuing their coordinated petty political action to serve their election chances.

“The answer of the President of the Republic will be given there and where it is necessary, in Geneva, where he is preparing to achieve the resumption of negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem and the reunification of our homeland,” Koushos said.