Akinci: Expecting Greek Cypriots to recognise north is futile

Expecting the Greek Cypriots to recognise the north as an independent country is “futile”, former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said on Thursday. In a social media post, he said a “bold decision” to recognise the north on the part of t

By: cyprus-mail.com

Jan 09 2025
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Akinci: Expecting Greek Cyprio

Expecting the Greek Cypriots to recognise the north as an independent country is “futile”, former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said on Thursday.

In a social media post, he said a “bold decision” to recognise the north on the part of the Greek Cypriots is “not possible”, while also saying it would not be possible for Turkish Cypriots to “live as a minority in a unitary state”.

Instead, he said, Cyprus’ two sides should “bring the great accumulation of progress which has been made at the negotiating table over the years to a conclusion”, before outlining his vision for a solution to the Cyprus problem.

“Internally, two states will take their place with broad powers foreseen by the constitution. Externally, there will be a single international identity and a single representation,” he said.

He added, “the central administration will have limited powers to ensure the unity of the common state, and decisions will be made within the framework of political equality and effective participation.

“This is the essence of the matter, and this is a federal structure”.

He did note that “we cannot forget the negative attitude displayed by the Greek Cypriot leadership over the years”, pointing to the failed Annan plan referendum in 2004 and the collapse of negotiations at Crans Montana in 2017 as examples.

“For this reason, there is no light on a mutually acceptable solution in the near future. Unfortunately, the passage of time further reduces the possibility of a solution,” he said.

Looking to the future, he said, “those who truly aim for a solution should work to create a strong civil society movement which comes from the grassroots in both communities and means the same thing when they say ‘solution’”.

His call for civil society to lead the charge towards a solution comes days after he formally ruled himself out of a fifth run to be Turkish Cypriot leader in October’s election.

Akinci turned 76 years old in December, and stood for election in 1990, 1995, 2015, and 2020, beating then-incumbent Dervish Eroglu in a landslide second round to be elected to the role in 2015.