February 11, 2014
The President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, made today the following statement to reporters at the Presidential Palace, after the meeting he had earlier with the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mr Dervish Eroglu, in the UN Protected Area, in the now defunct Nicosia international airport, in the presence of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Cyprus, Mrs Lisa Buttenheim, with regard to the resumption of the negotiations on the Cyprus problem.
In his statement, the President of the Republic said:
“I want to believe that this day will be the beginning in order to put an end to the undesirable and unacceptable situation that keeps our island and our people divided for about forty years.
It is the wish of the leaders of both communities, within an atmosphere of mutual respect and mutual understanding, to reach a solution that will terminate for good the current unacceptable state of affairs, and that will create the conditions for us to live in a modern European state, which through respect for the human rights of all the citizens, will create the conditions for coexistence, joint achievements and progress.
It is well known that the solution will be based on the High Level Agreements and the numerous decisions and resolutions of the United Nations, in order for the Republic of Cyprus to evolve into a federal, bicommunal, bizonal state with political equality.
Today’s joint statement sets the framework for the basic principles of a solution. What is required is the vision and the determination of the leaders, but also of the people of Cyprus, to work in order, on the one hand, to reestablish the trust among them, but also, at the same time, to achieve a solution that will not yield winners and losers.
Addressing the country’s political leadership and fully respecting the various views, I call on them, in response to the common wish of all the Greek Cypriots, to join forces with us for what is to follow, because it is well known that the joint communique is not the final solution but the beginning of an arduous effort in order to reach the desirable goals.
I am certain that the love for our homeland, but also the patriotism, which is a given, of all of the political forces and the people, will let us fight united for the final vindication of the expectations of our people.”