- Thursday, March 23, 2017

Like an overbearing parent, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu prescribes how Cypriots must obey Turkey in order to have a future (“Turkey’s vision for Cyprus,” Web, March 19). Yet the progress made in the negotiations between Turkey and Cyprus is a result of the leaders of the Cypriot communities taking ownership of the negotiation process and painstakingly defining their own common vision for the future, one in which they share the duties of running a country.

If I may venture some advice for the esteemed minister, it would be that the best contribution Turkey can make right now is to timetable the withdrawal of its troops from Cyprus upon an agreement so that the island can find a solution to the problem rather than a legitimization of the status quo.

We seek the restoration of the full independence, unity and sovereignty of Cyprus as an E.U. member state, free of foreign armies and guarantors maintaining a unilateral right to intervene.

It is time to allow all Cypriots to implement our own vision freely and become a beacon of peace, cooperation and reconciliation in a deeply troubled region.

LEONIDAS PANTELIDES

Ambassador to the United States

Republic of Cyprus

Washington

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