Nicosia has called upon British High Commissioner Irfan Siddiq for explanations regarding his recent statements about the necessity of the Greek Cypriot side opening up to Turkish Cypriots to encourage them to join negotiation talks.
The British diplomat was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for clarifications, according to Phileleftheros.
When questioned about the government’s stance on what incentives should be offered to Turkish Cypriots, as mentioned by Irfan Siddiq, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis stated, “We are in a process where a personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General has been appointed specifically to explore the conditions for resuming negotiations. Through our persistent efforts, this appointment of a personality, which seemed unfeasible just a few months ago, has been achieved. We will continue to take initiatives in the same vein to positively contribute to creating the necessary conditions. Let me remind you that the President of the Republic announced a package of 14 measures aimed at our Turkish Cypriot compatriots a few days ago.”
In response to a question about the kind of assurances the Turkish Cypriot side needs to engage in talks, as referred to by the High Commissioner, Letymbiotis noted, “This question should be directed to the High Commissioner of the United Kingdom. What we all need to keep in mind, especially at this time when we are facing a period of mobility marked by a significant development, the appointment of an envoy, is that we must all be very careful in our public statements.”
