The unwavering position of the Republic of Cyprus for a solution that will be strictly within the framework of the UN Security Council for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality and with the starting point of the talks being the point of maturity in Crans Montana, was emphasized by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, Constantinos Kombos, in an interview with the NEA published on Friday.
Speaking about the imminent transition of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Cyprus and when asked about the gap between the two sides, Kombos stated that the Republic of Cyprus remains steadfastly within the aforementioned framework, while “the other side is clearly outside.”
“We are steadfastly within the framework of the UN Security Council for a bizonal, bicommunal federation (BBF) and political equality as defined in the SC resolutions, starting from the point of maturity in Crans Montana,” he emphasized.
“Therefore, if the solution to bring the two sides closer is a stratagem, a Solomon solution, this cannot be accepted because it puts us within illegality,” he added.
Additionally, the Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted the factor of the Euro-Turkish relations, especially after the recent conclusions of the European Council, which is of particular importance.
“Turkey considers that the promotion of Euro-Turkish relations is in its interest, and we have paved the way for this. So, whoever expects from us the big opening, it has already been done. The choice of positive development lies on the other side,” Kombos assessed.
Regarding the “Amalthea” plan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke of a very significant initiative of Cyprus, which highlights the country’s role as a “bridge between the region and the EU and as a pillar of stability in times of crisis.”
“According to our interpretation, we have created an opportunity that did not exist for the international community. It wasn’t easy. There is the heavy shadow of the Cyprus issue and beyond. And of course, we intend to build both in this case and in upgrading all our relevant capabilities,” he noted.
Regarding migration and the visit of President Christodoulides with the President of the Commission to Lebanon, Kombos noted that “there is an escalating problem with the flows of Syrians from Lebanon.”
“After efforts by Cyprus, the Commission has turned its attention there. The goal is for the EU to support Beirut to reach a solution. During the visit of the Commissioner for Enlargement to Lebanon, the financing issues were discussed. Now, at the highest political level, we will see how it translates practically,” he explained.
“We want a safety net for the Republic of Cyprus because the issue is taking dangerous dimensions,” he commented.
Furthermore, commenting on the issue of Nicosia-Athens relations, he noted that these are “relations of coordination, dialogue, and sincerity.”
“We have very frequent communication at all levels and mutual information. It is not necessary to agree everywhere or have the same tactics. However, what matters is the genuine willingness to find solutions. For Greek-Turkish issues, for example, anything that can help Cyprus is welcome,” he stated.
Finally, referring to the developments regarding the Kosovo issue and whether they are directly related to the Cyprus issue, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus noted that “these are different cases.”
“There is a notable difference: in the case of Kosovo, we have 22 EU member states that have recognized it, there is an ongoing process and a finding of the International Court of Justice in 2010 which separates the case from Cyprus. Nevertheless, anything related to secessionist issues naturally concerns us. Our position was stated last year in the Council of Ministers committee. The Republic of Cyprus voted against,” he concluded.
