Decision on Cyprus reunification to be made this week: Akıncı

Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı said on Sunday that a decision to agree on a solution for the Cyprus crisis will be made this week, as U.N.-brokered reunification talks continue in the Swiss resort city of Crans-Montana.

"It will be a vital decision week for the future of both Cyprus and our region. We have no other aim but to reach the best deal for the future of Cyprus,"Akıncı said in a written statement.

Akıncı and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades have been involved in reunification talks to create a federal state since May 2015.

The leaders met several times in Geneva last year but their last meeting in February was embroiled in controversy over the Greek Cypriot assembly’s decision to introduce a school commemoration of the 1950 Enosis referendum on unification with Greece.

Akıncı said that an approach based on tackling issues separately in past memorandums is no longer fruitful, adding that his side reiterated to U.N. General Secretary Antonio Guterres the need to apply a package-based approach to reach a solution.

The Turkish Cypriot leader proposed there should be two negotiating tables: One where the guarantor powers can discuss possible amendments to the system of guarantees and another where the remaining unresolved issues can be discussed.

Akıncı reiterated that Turkish Cyprus is engaged in the reunification talks with the aim of reaching a solution to the crisis.

The Turkish Cypriot leader also emphasized the need to consult closely with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in order to find a solution that guarantees equality, security and freedom for the people of Turkish Cyprus, while it is ensured that Greek Cypriot citizens do not feel threatened.

The eastern Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974, when a Greek coup was followed by violence against the island’s Turkish population and Ankara's intervention to protect them.

Before the two-month hiatus, the two sides had agreed on most of the issues in the reunification deal, but the sticking points, including a security and guarantees system, remain unresolved.

Turkey insists 30,000 Turkish troops must remain on the island as part of Ankara’s role as a guarantor power.

Once a final agreement is reached, it would be put to a referendum in both communities. A peace deal was approved by Turkish Cypriots in 2004 but rejected by Greek Cypriot voters.