Negotiators keep mum about Athens and Ankara visits

The first ever parallel visits of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot negotiators to Ankara and Athens this week were held in a “warm” and “hospitable” environment, the Cyprus Mail reports.

The political leaderships of both communities and Turkey and Greece appear to have agreed to keep a low key on the visits, fearful of harming the peace process, raising age-old nationalist concerns over recognition issues, and undermining the momentum gained since the two leaders agreed to restart talks last month.

Greek Cypriot negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis went to Ankara to talk directly with the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu on Thursday, while his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Kudret Ozersay, met the Greek Foreign Ministry’s General Secretary, Anastassis Mitsialis, in Athens.

The two negotiators departed from either side of the buffer zone in Cyprus mid-week to fly the long way round to their respective destinations. Mavroyiannis travelled to Ankara via Athens, and Ozersay to Athens via Ankara.

The long trips were not to collect air miles, but to consult with the respective Cyprus desks of the Greek and Turkish foreign ministries, before heading on to their final destinations.

Speaking to Turkish Cypriot journalists he met at Athens airport on his return from Ankara, Mavroyiannis said that he had had a good meeting with Sinirlioglu, noting that “now it’s time to get back to work”.

According to Cyprus Mail sources, a decision was taken not to comment on the content of the meeting in Ankara, though they did acknowledge that it went well. The Greek Cypriot team received a “very warm welcome” and hospitality from their hosts.

The fact that Cypriot mobile phones do not work in Turkey perhaps helped the Greek Cypriot negotiating team keep a lid on any media buzz surrounding the visit, described by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as “historic”.

Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said he awaited the return of Mavroyiannis to receive an in-depth briefing though he had already been updated by the Greek foreign ministry on the Athens side of the parallel visits.

“The two meetings took place in a good and constructive climate,” he told reporters yesterday.

Turkish daily Sabah cited Turkish diplomatic sources saying that the diagonal talks symbolised an unprecedented opportunity to reach a solution on the island

For his part, Ozersay was quoted by Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris saying that the meeting in Athens exceeded his expectations. He described it as “the start of a healthy dialogue” to break down prejudices.

Moreover, Politis says that they asked Ozersay about his statement that he was carrying ‘surprises’ with him to Athens, the Turkish Cypriot negotiator replied that he had not spoken of any surprises but that he had been asked by reporters what he was carrying with him to which he had replied that he could not say what he was carrying. He added that they had then asked him if he was carrying any surprises and he replied “if I have anything to say to the Greek government that you don’t already know, then, yes, perhaps that would be a surprise.”

Asked on Thursday when he would talk with Mavroyiannis again, Ozersay said: “I can call him now as soon as I return to the hotel. We have such a sincere relationship.”

On a somewhat different note, Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu was quoted as saying that the Athens meeting has opened the door to Turkish Cypriot meetings with other foreign powers, noting that before the Cyprus Republic would try to thwart any such meetings.

Public opinion 71% in favour of talks

The first poll on the reaction to the joint statement for restarting the talks says 71% of Greek Greek Cypriots are in favour of President Anastasiades going ahead with the talks on the Cyprus problem with the aim of reaching an ultimate solution, while 24% are against his having signed the joint statement, Greek Cypriot daily Phileleftheros says, while 36% are against.

Overall 60% of the population believes DIKO should leave the government, with 27% saying it should stay and another 13% refusing to answer.

Within DIKO 58% are in favour of the joint statement with 38% against, while 61% want their party to remain in government and 34% want it to go.