Little ground for optimism at the informal five-party conference due to Turkish stance, Dendias says

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias says that the positions of Turkey and the Turkish-Cypriot side leave little ground for optimism as regards the prospects of the informal five-party conference on Cyprus, to be held in Geneva on 27-29 April.

In an interview with the Greek newspaper “Real News”, Dendias notes that Greece and Cyprus fully coordinate action in view of the summit, wishing to find a common ground with Turkey for resuming the negotiation process from the point it has stopped in Crans-Montana.

“However, I am a pragmatist. Unfortunately, Turkey’s positions and the Turkish-Cypriot side’s stance leave little ground for optimism. Their public statements are completely outside the framework of productive discussion, and outside the only legal framework as defined by the international community”, he said.

Regarding the role of the EU, Dendias underlined that Cyprus is an EU member-state and as such any future solution must be based on the European acquis. “This is why we believe that the EU should be represented at the informal five-party summit, even at a services level. It is regrettable that this has not been accepted. I am hoping that the EU will play an active role in the efforts for resolving the Cyprus issue, as it did in the past”, he concluded.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The UN Secretary-General invited all parties involved to attend an informal five-plus-one meeting on the Cyprus issue in Geneva, Switzerland, from 27 to 29 April 2021.