Brussels, 08/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 6 October, the spokesperson for the Cypriot government, Nicos Christodoulides, announced that President Nicos Anastasiades had decided to suspend negotiations on the division of Cyprus with the Turkish Cypriot part in order to protest against Turkey's actions with regard to the Cypriot gas in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus.
Anastasiades will not therefore take part in the meeting with the leader of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Dervis Eroglu, on 9 October. Christodoulides stated that Cyprus was taking legal and diplomatic measures which made this necessary. He underlined that Cyprus was awaiting a response from the EU and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
Eroglu criticised the decision, which “constitutes a new expression” of the “determination” of the Republic of Cyprus “to ignore the rights of the Turkish-Cypriot people, and shows that their efforts to reach a solution through negotiations were not sincere” (our translation).
The special adviser to the United Nations secretary general on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, is expected to meet the two leaders, their negotiators and the political party leaders. On 17 September, Anastasiades and Eroglu had agreed to move to the “next phase of the structured negotiations” on the issue of the division of Cyprus (see EUROPE 11158).
Cyprus believes that the announcement of a Turkish seismic vessel being sent to the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus in mid-October is a provocation. Turkey is opposed to the exploitation of gas or oil fields by the Greek-Cypriot government before any peace agreement. (CG)