Nicosia, Asharq Al-Awsat—Since the modern state of Cyprus split into the Republic of Cyprus in the south and the internationally unrecognized Turkish-controlled northern region following a conflict in 1974, both sides have staged a number of attempts at reunification.

In February 2014, Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and former president of Northern Cyprus Derviş Eroğlu began renewed efforts to work for bi-zonal, bi-communal federal reunification based on political equality.

Observers predict the recent election of Mustafa Akıncı as president of Northern Cyprus—who has signaled he is seeking a re-evaluation of Turkey’s role in the North—as well as the fallout from June’s elections in Turkey which saw the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lose a 13-year majority, could have a bearing on the renewed talks between both sides.

Asharq Al-Awsat spoke to Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on the effect these recent events may have on reunification efforts, as well as his country’s relationship with Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Asharq Al-Awsat: Let’s start with the state of Cyprus’s relations with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. Should we expect new and hopefully positive developments in these the relations?

Nicos Anastasiades: On June 16, 2015, after a long absence, I received the Letters of Credence of the new ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Republic of Cyprus. Moreover, we decided to appoint a resident ambassador to the Kingdom, a step which reflects our desire to deepen political, economic, and diplomatic ties.

Furthermore, in the past 18 months, I paid official visits to Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain and hope that in the near future I will also be able to visit Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Today, and taking into consideration the situation in the wider Middle East and the dramatic developments in our region, the cooperation between the GCC member states and Cyprus becomes even more imperative, since we all share the same aim for peace, stability, and security in our part of the world.

Moreover, for a country which is a member state of the EU and geographically belongs to the region of the Eastern Mediterranean, it is very important to develop a dialogue and to exchange views on important issues of mutual interest and concern. This extends to the need for stability in the Arabian Peninsula against all movements that are trying to destabilize the countries in the area.

Q: You have already met Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. How did you find him as a man and a leader? Some commentators speculate about a return to the special relations Egypt had with Cyprus during the era of President Gamal Abdel Nasser and President Makarios . . .

Indeed, I have met the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt on many occasions. In December 2013, I was the first European leader to visit Egypt, where I had the chance to meet Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi for the first time—in his then capacity as deputy prime minister and minister of defense. Following that, I was the only European head of state to attend his inauguration ceremony as president of the Arab Republic of Egypt on June 8, 2014. In September 2014 we had a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where we both expressed our commitment to work for a comprehensive strategic relationship between our two countries based on common interests, in particular in areas such as security and defense cooperation, energy, and maritime issues. On November 8, 2014, I participated in the first  . . . Egypt–Greece–Cyprus trilateral summit that was held in Cairo. In March 2015 I had a meeting with President Sisi on the sidelines of Egypt’s Economic Development Conference. Finally, Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi visited Cyprus on April 29 to participate in the second Egypt–Greece–Cyprus high-level trilateral summit.

The frequency of our meetings alone, as well as those of the meetings conducted between officials of the governments of our two countries, demonstrate that our bilateral relations and our cooperation on the regional and international levels have reached new heights that could only be compared to the historic era of President Nasser and President Makarios.

Cyprus considers Egypt a prominent neighbor and a strategic partner and has since the very beginning unequivocally supported President Sisi, who is trying, with remarkable resoluteness and integrity, to deal with the serious challenges Egypt is confronted with, among them the security situation, economic reform, and development and the implementation of the road map for transition to full democracy.

In particular, I commend the president’s efforts to revive the economy, including the promotion of investments and the stimulation of labor-intensive sectors—such as the Suez Canal and other major projects.

President Sisi should also be praised for his efforts to enhance security and stability in Egypt as well as the whole region with his various initiatives aiming at greater cooperation of the moderate regional forces and at facilitating the solution of longstanding and complex disputes.

I have reiterated in many instances that we stand in full solidarity with the Egyptian president in his fight against terrorism and extremism, which we currently assess as the biggest challenge for the country. We are ready to assist in every possible way.

Q: Cyprus has always maintained good relations with Israel. Could that tradition adversely affect further developments in ties between Cyprus and the Arab states especially with regard to the Palestinian issue?

First of all I must say that Cyprus, in addition to the development of our relations with Israel, has also enjoyed excellent and traditional relations with all Arab states and of course Palestine. Our ties with the Arab world are deep and historic, and they reflect our determination to have good relations with all our neighbors.

Our relations with Israel are not at the expense of our principled positions on the Palestinian issue. In recent years Cyprus opened embassies in most of the Gulf States and, as already mentioned, soon we hope to open an embassy in Riyadh. As you know, Cyprus maintains excellent relations with Egypt and our position on the Palestinian issue remains the same: a two state solution, where Israel and Palestine can live peacefully next to each other.

Q: Could the recent election in Turkey in which the AKP lost its majority have an effect on relations with Cyprus? And do you believe that regardless of who governs in Ankara, Turkey is genuinely interested in the reunification of Cyprus?

I believe that a speedy formation of a government in Turkey will be to the benefit of both the Turkish nation, as well as the country’s foreign policy. As to Turkey’s role and contribution to the Cyprus problem negotiations, we hope that it will be a constructive, meaningful, and generous one. In addition, the speedy implementation of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), with the contribution of Turkey, could possibly help narrow the confidence gap between Greek Cypriots and Turkey.

Q: Cyprus was divided over 40 years ago. Do you think that there is a real possibility of reunification?

I believe that the time is right, and I believe that it has already been too long a time without a solution to the Cyprus problem. The passage of time is to the detriment of the cause of reunification, and every day that goes by without a solution is a bad day for Cyprus and its people.

I believe that the new negotiating process we have entered this past spring is on the right track. What we aim to achieve at the soonest possible time is a comprehensive, viable, and fair settlement of the Cyprus problem, based on a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, as set out in the relevant Security Council resolutions, the High Level Agreements, and the Joint Declaration of February 2014, with a single international legal personality, a single sovereignty, and a single citizenship. Furthermore, we need to safeguard for Cyprus and all Cypriots the principles upon which the European Union is founded.

To return back to your question, I would say yes, reunification is a real possibility. And I will work tirelessly and intensely towards achieving that end.

Q: You recently met the Turkish–Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı behind closed doors. Could you tell us what was discussed; or was the conversation restricted to political differences?

The recent assumption of the leadership of the Turkish–Cypriot community by Mr. Mustafa Akıncı is a very positive development. I have already met many times with Mr. Akıncı, and our meetings have been both positive and forward-looking. With Mr. Akıncı we share the same vision: to reunite our homeland under a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. I believe that together we can cooperate towards that end and bring peace to our homeland.

Now with regards to the process, alongside the negotiating process which has restarted, we are promoting a series of CBMs, aimed at both improving the everyday lives of people from the two communities as well as restoring trust and confidence. Furthermore, we believe that a successful implementation of meaningful CBMs will create a new dynamic, which will definitely help boost the negotiating process.

Q: Do you think that Arab friends of Cyprus, notably Saudi Arabia, could make a positive contribution to a solution to the dispute that has affected Cyprus for decades?

As already mentioned, Cyprus has special, good-neighborly, and friendly relations with the Arab world, and has enjoyed a long tradition of mutual economic, trade, and cultural ties.

Saudi Arabia is a vitally important player in the Middle East with a paramount position and a leading role in the Muslim world, as well as in regional and international organizations.

Saudi Arabia’s special weight can contribute positively towards our current efforts for the solution of the Cyprus issue. In particular, Saudi Arabia’s principled position in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the Cyprus issue, and its efforts in the OIC to promote resolutions in line with international law and UN Security Council resolutions, yielded a commendable outcome in the 42nd Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, held in Kuwait last May. The resolution adopted in Kuwait represented a major step forward in that it eliminated language that runs contrary to relevant Security Council resolutions and removed obsolete and problematic references. The improvement of the content of the said resolution opened doors for dialogue and understanding, contributing also towards the further development of cooperation between the European Union and the OIC.

Q: With regards to the agreement between Egypt, Israel, and Cyprus to take ownership and use the natural gas found in the Mediterranean, do you think this will anger countries such as Turkey, and could this be a risk to reunification?

Cyprus had early enough realized the importance of hydrocarbons discovered in the Eastern Mediterranean. We became convinced that hydrocarbons could become a catalyst for regional cooperation, stability, and economic development that would eventually promote peace and security in our troubled area.

We have embarked on a consistent policy of working together with our coastal neighbors—Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon—both bilaterally and in a trilateral framework with the inclusion of Greece, in order to promote the catalytic role of hydrocarbons.

Our cooperation and the trilateral frameworks (Cyprus, Egypt, Greece already in place, and Cyprus, Israel, and Greece in the making) are not exclusive in nature but on the contrary open to any country of the region that adheres to the well-established principles of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

We have not excluded Turkey from this cooperation or from the benefits that could accrue. Turkey has excluded itself by the behavior it has adopted vis-à-vis the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean, by its disrespect to well-established principles of international law that govern relations between states.

The door for Turkey’s inclusion in our regional cooperation is and will remain open provided that Ankara decides to abandon its hostile policy and abide by its international obligations and commitments as a member of the United Nations.

We sincerely wish and expect that Turkey will soon fully realize the advantages it stands to gain from a settlement of the Cyprus problem, both for itself and the Turkish Cypriots, and will not use the hydrocarbons issue and the peaceful cooperation developing around it in the Eastern Mediterranean region as an excuse to prevent the reunification of the island.

Q: Is Cyprus also facing the problem of migrants crossing the Mediterranean? And what do you think the European Union should do to meet the growing challenge?

Cyprus is not currently facing the huge numbers of migrants arriving by sea like other frontline member states of the EU such as Italy, Greece, and Malta. However, the geographical proximity to war-torn areas like Syria and Iraq exposes Cyprus to the possibility of sudden and unexpected large flows of migrants. For example, in September 2014, 336 persons—mostly of Syrian origin—were rescued by the Cypriot authorities on their ship near the shores of Cyprus. They were all brought in safely, and welcomed in facilities offered by the Republic of Cyprus.

The problem of irregular migration is a very complex issue and there are no easy and fast solutions. From the EU perspective, we feel that it is of the utmost importance to tackle the traffickers and the networks of human smugglers. Secondly, we have to make sure that people fleeing dangerous and war-torn regions, in direct need of international protection, have access to protection and are a separate category from economic migrants. However, the most important way to alleviate this problem is by addressing the root causes in the countries of origin—and transit—such as poverty, lack of economic and social development, rule of law, better governance, and many others.

The EU cannot solve the problem on its own. We need a comprehensive approach by the whole of the international community.