The main stumbling block at Crans-Montana talks in Switzerland was again the issues of security and guarantees. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kodzias reacted sharply to the idea of keeping Turkish troops on the island. While Turkish deputy prime minister said that Ankara is not ready for concessions at this point.
In this regard, the representative of Cyprus government Nikos Christodoulides called on Turkish Foreign Ministry to make Turkish proposal on security and guarantees public, so “that Cyprus citizens understand how serious are the matters discussed.”
Along with these issues, the conflict of interests was also caused by the desire of Turkish Cypriots to obtain four EU freedoms. Questions on territorial division and real estate rights also remain controversial.
The parties and guarantors will have time to reach compromise until the end of this working week.
