LOCATION Shakespeare Avenue

SPEAKER Peter Millett

EVENT Autumn Garden party

DATE 22/10/2009

Hosh geldiniz [welcome]. 
 
I’m very pleased to see so many of our close friends and colleagues here tonight.

Welcome particularly to our guest of honour, His Excellency Mehmet Ali Talat.  I also want to thank Cangar Motors and Bashman Brothers Ltd for their contributions. Thanks also to the band from the Royal Marines who have put on a wonderful show.

Much has happened in the last year. The two leaders have made solid progress in the negotiations – and have recently intensified their efforts. Many important confidence building measures are being implemented: the agreement to open the Limnitis crossing, bicommunal co-operation on criminal, cultural and environmental matters and, most recently, the cancellation of military exercises.

I know that Turkish Cypriots were disappointed by the failure in 2004 and that some of the undertakings made by the international community have not been delivered.  But this process offers renewed hope that this long-lasting problem can be solved.  Hope - because the political, social and economic benefits of a solution are huge.  Turkish Cypriot companies will benefit from the opportunity to trade with the rest of the EU. They will be ideally placed to benefit from growing trade between Cyprus and Turkey. There will be opportunities for co-operation in tourism and education, making these sectors more competitive and attractive to foreign investment.  EU structural funds will flow in.

A small sample of those benefits is already happening:  the EU financial aid regulation, worth 259m euros, is starting to deliver tangible results; replacing asbestos water pipes in Nicosia; new computer equipment for schools; new equipment and modern technology for farmers; scholarships for Turkish Cypriots to study in Europe.

Of course, the road ahead won’t be easy.  But it’s important not to lose sight of what the leaders are aiming for – a bizonal, bicommunal federation composed of two constituent states, with real political equality.  A future in which all Cypriots will be free of the burdens of the past, a Cyprus that is stable, secure and prosperous, able to enjoy the full fruits of European Union membership.  This goal is surely worth the effort.

This process must be your process. It must be directed by your leaders. It is supported primarily by the UN.  The UK has a long background in the issues and is ready to support this effort.  It is clearly in our interests and those of Europe and the region to see the leaders succeed.

So, my key message is to keep faith in a solution. The current negotiations represent a unique opportunity to solve the Cyprus problem. The opportunity is there. It’s time to seize it.

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