Turkish opposition party CHP leader Ozgur Ozel walked out of the room when Akel leader Stefanos Stefanou spoke at the Socialist International party leaders’ board meeting in New York on Wednesday night.
The meeting was being held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, and while Akel have not yet made public the contents of Stefanou’s intervention, Ozel said he had taken offence at Stefanou’s use of the word “occupation” while speaking about the Cyprus problem.
After Stefanou had finished speaking, Ozel re-entered the room, explaining, “the important part for my party is that the 1974 Cyprus peace operation was carried out during a CHP government” and that Turkey’s actions were “done to bring peace to both the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots”.
He added, “that is why I wanted to correct a terminological mistake. I hope that peace will prevail on the island from now on.”
The meeting was also attended by Turkish Cypriot opposition party leader Tufan Erhurman, who appeared to have warmer relations with Stefanou. The pair were pictured sitting next to each other in the room, with party leaders having been sat in country order.
In his speech, Erhurman spoke of how the “ongoing tragic events in Ukraine and Gaza remind us that the status quo is never static and that there is no such thing as a frozen conflict.
“In the case of Cyprus, the ongoing status quo is naturally deepening the impasse, further alienating the two communities from each other and strengthening separatist policies on both sides of the Green Line.”
Additionally, he touched on the matter of power interconnection, saying a European Union-sponsored cable to Cyprus via Turkey would be “more risk-free and feasible in every respect” and a confidence-building measure between the two sides.
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