Statement of the Czech MFA on the Negotiations on Unification of Cyprus
08.04.2004 / 14:44 | Aktualizováno: 26.01.2009 / 14:02
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic followed with much attention the negotiations on the unification of Cyprus opened between the two communities on the island on February 19, 2004. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic welcomed the agreement of the two sides to hold negotiations based on the plan presented by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as the only existing and meaningful proposal for the constitutional setup of the unified island.(8/4/2004)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic followed with much attention the negotiations on the unification of Cyprus opened between the two communities on the island on February 19, 2004. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic welcomed the agreement of the two sides to hold negotiations based on the plan presented by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as the only existing and meaningful proposal for the constitutional setup of the unified island. The MFA appreciated the expression of the goodwill of both sides to accept also the blueprint of the negotiations proposed by the UN Secretary-General. The MFA welcomes in particular the positive change in the position of the Turkish community in Cyprus and the constructive approach of Turkey that facilitated the agreement.
Although the meeting of representatives of the two communities
with the participation of the Greek and Turkish Prime Ministers and
Kofi Annan in Burgenstock, Switzerland, did not result on March 31,
in the adoption of the latest version of the Annan plan, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic is of the opinion
that the plan is a just and well-balanced compromise that can
bring, to all parties concerned and in particular to the citizens
of Cyprus, prosperity and political stability of the country in the
EU. The MFA believes that in both referendums on April 24, the
citizens of Cyprus will show enough courage to overcome the
resentment of the distant and recent past and vote in favour of the
proposed solution. Never in the past three decades was Cyprus so
close to unification. It is a chance that should not be
squandered.
unofficial translation