Cyprus Peace Talks Gain a New Momentum

• 05.15.2015, 10:05
•  Europe,  World

It seems the reconciliation process between the Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus is gaining a new momentum. Today, on May 15 the peace talks between the two Cyprus will resume after a one year halt. This was declared by the UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide after the meeting of the Presidents of the Republic of Cyprus and Northern Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades  and newly elected Mustafa Akinci on Monday. This was the first meeting after Akinci was elected.

"They agreed it was important to use the momentum created and opportunity to move forward without delay," ekathimerini.com quotes Eide’s words.

Obviously, these talks became possible with the change of the president of Northern Cyprus. Still being a candidate of presidential elections it was clear that if he wins the elections, then quite tangible changes in the stance of the country will occur in regard with the Cyprus problem. Leftist leader Akinci has always been an advocate of a new federal Cyprus. As The Guardian informs, still in 1980s, when Akinci was the mayor of  of Nicosia, he founded the Peace and Democracy Movement that was for the reunification of two Cyprus the way proposed in the Annan Plan, which, however, was rejected by Greek Cypriots in 2004. Another interesting element that shows Akinci’s commitment to the reunification of Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus is his words during the election campaign, when he called the relations between Northern Cyprus and Turkey as that of "brother and sister," rather than of "a motherland and the child." And what happened after Akinci won the elections, was another indication that, more or less, there is a hope that something will move from its place. After the results of the elections were declared, people took to the streets with the flags of the EU calling the Greek Cypriots to cross the border and join the celebrations.

As the time showed, it is not only the Cypriots in North that are happy for what their leader says intends to do. On the day of the meeting of the Presidents of two Cyprus, several hundred people from Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus organized a demonstration in front of Ledra Palace Hotel that lies inside the U.N.-controlled buffer zone, where the meeting was being held. As the usnews.com writes, the demonstrators had posters written "Solution Now." "After 41 years it's enough. I want peace in Cyprus, there's new hope now and I want to be a part of it," usnews.com quotes the words of one of the demonstrators.

Today's meeting, of course, is of great importance in terms of the positive start of the talks. The sides, at this stage, will hardly come to any tangible results. It will be more a meeting for the exchange of views and for clarifying the scope of the negotiations. The two leaders are for the solution of Cyprus problem - united Cyprus under a two-state federal umbrella. However, we do understand that this is quite a broad formation of the solution of the problem and there are a lot of details around which the sides should negotiate and come to an agreement, which surely, cannot be reached without compromises and the political will of the parties. Thus, at this stage it remains only to wait and see in what direction the events develop.