We work in full cooperation with Greece for negotiations’ resumption, President says

“In full cooperation with Greece, we are working to create the conditions for the resumption of meaningful negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus problem”, said on Monday evening, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, in his speech at the annual political memorial of Mikis Theodorakis, in Chania, Crete, at which President Christodoulides was the main speaker.

According to a Presidency statement, President Christodoulides said that “50 years later, in European Cyprus, a member state of the European Union since 2004, there are still refugees, 50 years later we are experiencing the drama of the missing persons, among them our brothers and sisters from Greece, whose fate has not yet been determined. We are experiencing the violation of basic freedoms and fundamental human rights of all Cypriots, of the enclaved, who remained, despite the adversities, in their homes, the destruction of our cultural and religious heritage, the continuing alteration of the demographic character of
our country, the daily usurpation of our properties.”

He said that his generation, the generation of the war, has the responsibility of liberation from the chains of occupation, the responsibility of the liberation and reunification of Cyprus.

At the same time, he stressed that “in full cooperation with Greece, which is our most steadfast and selfless ally, we are working to create the conditions for the resumption of meaningful negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus problem.”

Furthermore, he expressed “the genuine gratitude of the Hellenism of Cyprus for the practical and constant support and assistance that Greece and the brotherly Greek people have offered over the past 50 years in our struggle for survival, development and vindication”, noting that “a strong Greece is a strong ally of the Republic of Cyprus, a pole of stability and security in our region.”

“Our vision”, the President of the Republic said, is a homeland without an occupying army, without guarantors, without protectors, noting th
at that is why from the first day of his election he has been doing everything humanly possible to resume negotiations and reach a solution to the Cyprus problem in accordance with the UN resolutions, and European principles and values.

“In my dream”, he noted, the Republic of Cyprus, as an equal member state of the European Union, has the potential to offer all its legitimate citizens, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins, conditions of peace, security and prosperity.

He also stated that in order to achieve the resolution of the national problem, the existence, in practice and not in words, of a strong and united internal front is a necessary condition. “The existence of a spirit of unity in Cyprus and Greece, which Theodorakis too often praised in his statements, is a prerequisite,” he said.

In his speech, President Christodoulides referred to the work and personality of the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, while he also referred to his relations with Cyprus, saying that “he
was truly striving for the future of Cypriot Hellenism and was always present in all the struggles of our people”.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

Source: Cyprus News Agency