‘Turkey had no intention of responding to Guterres’ proposals in Crans Montana’

President Nicos Anastasiades on Sunday said it was evident in the UN minutes on the meetings in Crans Montana that Turkey had no intention of responding to the UN secretary-general’s (UNSG) proposals.

Replying to journalists in an event hosted by the large families organisation, on criticism by the opposition concerning the deadlock in the 2017 Conference on Cyprus, in Crans-Montana, Anastasiades said that “what’s important are the records of the official minutes.”

“It is evident in the minutes that the Greek Cypriot side was consistent and submitted written proposals on the entire Guterres framework on all issues,” he said. He also referred to the adoption by the UNSG of the Greek Cypriot side’s demand “that the anachronistic system of guarantees and the presence of troops should at some point be terminated.”

The minutes, revealed by daily Phileleftheros, clearly show that Turkey had no intention to respond to the UNSG proposals, he said.

Anastasiades also said that taking into account the presence of a sizeable number of settlers, the Turkish demand for a positive vote, the permanent presence of troops as well as guarantor rights “you realise that a possible acceptance of a solution with the respective content would turn Cyprus into a vassal state or a protectorate of Turkey.”

“The documents speak for themselves,” he added.

Anastasiades also spoke of “mythmakers or distorters of the UN documents who read and pretend that they don’t understand”.

“History has recorded some facts and I repeat, my wish was that the Greek Cypriots would be vindicated as was our intention,” he concluded.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied the island`s northern third. Numerous rounds of UN-brokered talks to reunite the island under a federal roof failed to yield results.