Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said on Thursday, November 10, that the meeting which he will have on Friday, November 11, with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, in Mont-Pelerin, is considered one of the most crucial ones, given all the things which took place before, Cyprus News Agency reports.
Speaking to the media outside the Caveau de Vignerons restaurant in Montreux where the UN hosted a dinner for the leaders and their negotiating teams, that have been meeting in Mont-Pelerin since Monday to discuss the territory issue and other pending issues interdependently, Anastasiades noted that during the first one and a half day their discussion focused on issues concerning the four chapters, adding that further progress was achieved on outstanding issues.
The most important one, he noted, was the discussion on the property issue, in which there was some further progress. He added that the issue of property is related to the territory issue, adding that they began discussing the territory issue on Thursday. “There is a creative effort going on from both sides, there is a good climate,” he noted, adding however that these alone are not enough to reach a result.
Everything will depend on the dialogue that will follow on Friday, he noted. Asked what he means by referring to 'everything' he noted that he means the outcome as regards the territory issue, if there will be an agreement on the criteria or not.
Anastasiades and Akinci will meet at 10:30 on Friday, November 11, aiming to reach convergences on the territorial adjustment criteria. Their discussion takes place on the basis of a joint document with each side`s positions on the criteria. Anastasiades and his negotiating team will meet prior to the two leaders` meeting, at 0900.
In his statements on Thursday, November 10, Anastasiades stressed that this will not be their closing meeting. “We have been negotiating on the Cyprus problem for 42 years now. The effort now is to create all those necessary conditions that will allow us to proceed to the next step,” he added.
Invited to say if a map will be put forward at the negotiating table on Friday, Anastasiades said that the first precondition is an agreement on the criteria.
He added that the second one is that the maps which will be submitted must be based on the criteria that will be agreed.
He reiterated that there is progress and therefore they can proceed further, adding that if they are not able to conclude on what they seek to achieve then this is not the end of the process. “We will continue the dialogue back at home,” he added.
Speaking in English to Turkish Cypriot journalists, Anastasiades said that “we are negotiating in a very good climate with commitment to meet each others` concerns. But these are not enough.”
He noted that Friday is the most critical day during which they will see “if we are within reach in order to finalize or to continue our deliberations furthermore in Cyprus.”
Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci began on Monday in Mont-Pelerin intensive negotiations on the territory issue and all other outstanding issues interdependently. The talks in Switzerland are scheduled to conclude on Friday, November 11.
Anastasiades: Friday's Meeting in Mont-Pelerin is Very Crucial
