President Mustafa Akinci met with Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the EU Commission in Brussels on Wednesday evening.
Junker retuned earlier than planned from Strasbourg to meet with Akinci because he was scheduled to attend the Eurasian Economic Summit it Istanbul on Thursday.
President Akinci said that his meeting with Juncker was productive.
He said, “As you know, we are ready to restart our talks on Cyprus, after everything that happened. We hope that the coming days will define the ways for the resumption of negotiations on Tuesday and we do not have to much flexibility regarding time, to finish what we have ahead of us, because the year 2017 contains many risks”.
Akinci said he was referring to the issue of hydrocarbon exploration offshore Cyprus and the upcoming Greek Cypriot elections.
“The election campaign has already begun, we can see it. In the coming months we need to set an agreed framework to move forward with the details. Can we do it? If we work hard and continue with determination and the will, there is a way. But if you wan to proceed to a solution, you cannot get everything you want. There should be a compromise.
“I hope that this new beginning will bring positive results for all sides in Cyprus, the region, and all the other relevant parties,” Akinci said.
Havadis, Cyprus Mail