Day: October 9, 2022

Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean will travel to Limassol, Cyprus, on 9 – 11 October for a country visit and to open the 2022 Maritime Cyprus 2022 international conference.

 

On Sunday, Vălean will meet with President Anastasiades and representatives of the shipping industry from Cyprus and the rest of the EU, to discuss efforts to decarbonise shipping both in Europe and internationally.

 

On Monday, Commissioner Vălean will open the conference, together with President Anastasiades and Kitack Lim, the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization.

 

She will meet the Minister of Transport Yiannis Karousos, and the Deputy Minister for Shipping, Vasilis Demetriades. The Commissioner and the two ministers will then hold a press conference at 12:30.

 

Also on Monday, Commissioner Vălean will meet with the president and members of the transport committee of the House of Representatives. Later, she will also hold a debate with students at the Cyprus University of Technology regarding shipping studies in the higher education system of Cyprus.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The unreasonable and illegal Turkish demands cannot in any way be accepted, Presidential Commissioner Photis Photiou said, in a speech at the funeral service of sergeant Theotokis Orfanou who was member of the commando forces and was killed during the Turkish invasion of 1974.

 

Photiou said that 48 years after the dark summer of 1974, we continue to bury the remains of our heroes who were killed and went missing since, adding the missing persons issue deeply concerns the government. We are aiming to ascertain the fate of all missing persons and bring peace to their relatives, he noted.

 

Around 750 of our compatriots are still missing, including Greeks, he said, adding the occupation force has enormous responsibilities and with its tactics is preventing and arrogantly ignores our pleas to implement international court decisions. It is unacceptable, he added “and inhumane that the occupation force refuses to cooperate effectively with sincerity to resolve the humanitarian aspect of the missing persons’ issue”.

 

He said we are witnessing a period during which the revisionist stance and the neo-Ottoman approach of Turkey is evident as it is expressed both against Cyprus, Greece and other countries.

 

Photiou said as declares President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades, our position remains strictly dedicated to finding a solution that is based on High level Agreements, the UN resolutions and of course, the principles and values of the EU.

 

A solution, he added, that will provide for an end to the anachronistic guarantee pact and presence of occupation troops, a functional and viable solution that will safeguard most of all the human rights of all the people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.

 

He praised the sacrifice of Theotokis Orfanos, who did not hesitate to lose his life for his country, defending freedom and Cyprus’ territorial integrity over Bellapais in the Kyrenia mountains while fighting against the Turkish advance.

 

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

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades strongly criticised Turkey for trying to turn Cyprus into a submissive state as it has done with the Turkish occupied north of Cyprus, and blamed the European Union and the United Nations for sharing responsibility for the situation.

 

In a speech at the Morphou municipality anti-occupation march in Astromeritis, the President added that it must be made clear that as long as the international community tolerates or accepts the Turkish behaviour, it is like rewarding the perpetrator who wants to pose as the victim.

 

Expressing regret over the current situation on the Cyprus problem, Anastasiades, whose term in office ends in February 2023, said there has not been any leader or political party that has not strived for a solution to the Cyprus problem.

 

Referring to Turkey’s refusal to become involved in a constructive dialogue, the President reminded Turkey’s demand for a continuation of the anachronistic guarantees and permanent presence of the Turkish army with the right to intervene as well the Turkish Cypriot side’s demands making the operation of a central government dysfunctional.

 

President Anastasiades said the Greek Cypriot side always acted in good faith and tried to give Turkish Cypriots the message that it does not neglect or disregard their concerns, however unjustified these may have been.

 

He also said that the non-implementation of all that was agreed in Berlin aimed to waste the time and allow for the Turkish side’s favourite man to undertake the leadership of the Turkish Cypriots, ostracising Mustafa Akinci with the new leader demanding since April 2021 a two-state solution and is against any Security Council resolution on Cyprus or the principles of international order or the EU.

 

President Anastasiades said we need to acknowledge the realities if we want to effectively handle the Turkish greed. “It must become clear to the international community and the EU, and I say it bluntly, that those who turn a blind eye, are accepting or tolerating the Turkish behaviour are basically rewarding the perpetrator who wants to turn into a victim. There is no other way to explain Mr. (Tayip) Erdogan’s behaviour. It is Europe’s tolerance which allows him to overstep”, the president added. Otherwise, he would not have the audacity he had during the EU leaders’ meeting in Prague,” President Anastasiades said.

 

He questioned which international law allows Turkey to threaten the territorial sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic, to violate the 550 and 789 resolutions of the Security Council on Famagusta and which country allows the minority community to take decisions over the majority?

 

President Anastasiades said Turkey’s insistence on guarantees, on the right to intervene, for a permanent Turkish base on the island and how the executive decisions will be taken, were the reasons behind the failure at Crans Montana.

 

The President remarked there is no Greek Cypriot leader who did not consciously make efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem. There is also no political force that has not made efforts to find a solution. Those responsible are the ones, who, through their intransigent positions, tried to turn Cyprus into a subservient state, just as they turned occupied Cyprus”, he said, adding, “at the same time the responsibility lies with both the UN and the EU”.

 

We continue the fight he added, to persuade those who take decisions, especially after the war in Ukraine, to understand that double standards do not promote international law, instead they promote international injustice.

 

They help revisionist policies, whether they are in Russia, Turkey or elsewhere, to create problems for international legal order, the President added. He warned that if they remain inactive, there is a danger we will witness a new war between EU member states, NATO allies, and then we will realise that tolerance resulted with destruction.

 

Concluding, President Anastasiades said that in the time left before concluding his presidency and in the future as an ordinary citizen, he will continue to fight for the return of all refugees to their homes and to make it clear that without joint action it is impossible to fight Turkish intransigence.

 

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.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Israel’s cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus and Greece will continue to expand even more in the future, the Israeli Minister of Defence, Benny Gantz, told CNA.

 

Gantz, who is also the leader of the centre-right party coalition “Power Faction”, asked on how he assesses the course of relations between Israel and Cyprus during the term of the outgoing government and especially during his term as head of the Ministry of Defence, told CNA that the relations with Cyprus, as well as the relations that have been created in the context of tripartite cooperation with Greece, were “of excellent quality.” He said the three countries have done a lot together at a political, diplomatic and military level and will continue to do even more in the future.

 

The coalition “Power Faction” under the leadership of Gantz, consists of the political parties Blue and White, under Gantz, the New Hope party of the current Minister of Justice, Gideon Sa’ar, while a month ago, the former Chief of Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces, retired Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, joined. It was during Eisenkot’s term, during the period 2015-2019, that the cooperation between the Israeli Armed Forces and Cyprus’ National Guard, at the level of joint exercises and exchange of expertise, was expanded.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

All the necessary diplomatic representations are being made to the United Nations and the EU so that everyone realises that there can be no further tolerance of the unacceptable Turkish manipulations, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, said on Sunday.

 

Asked by journalists upon his arrival at an event in the context of the 42nd anti-occupation march of Morphou refugees, that took place in Astromeritis, in the Nicosia district, what actions the Republic of Cyprus was taking regarding the latest demands of the Turkish Cypriot side from UNFICYP, the President said that all the necessary diplomatic representations are being made to the United Nations and to the EU, “so that everyone realises that there can be no further tolerance for the unacceptable Turkish manipulations”. He said that the Turkish actions were “nothing more than the consolidation” of the faits accomplis Ankara was seeking.

 

He made it clear that “there is no question for our side of choosing the path of armed confrontation” adding that the Greek Cypriot side, is trying, through its proposals to convey the message that through a creative dialogue, always within the framework of International Law and especially the European acquis, a solution can be found that will benefit Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, but also Turkey.

 

When asked if he would respond to counter-proposals by the leader of the Turkish Cypriots, Ersin Tatar, President Anastasiades referred to the confidence-building measures he had submitted, which he said, could build trust between the two sides but also prepare the ground for a new creative dialogue. “Unfortunately, Mr. Tatar’s counter-proposals are only aimed at discussing how to establish their pursuit, for the creation of two states. Therefore, I am not prepared to contribute in that direction,” he said.

 

Regarding his short conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Prague earlier this week, on the sidelines of the first meeting of the European Political Community, he said that he greeted him, the same way he greeted some other European partners who were with him, and that he reminded him “the need to finally have a meaningful dialogue”. President Anastasiades said he told Erdogan that the time has come, instead of threats or creating faits accomplis, to create the prospects for a solution to the Cyprus issue that will pave the way also for Turkey’s European orientation.

 

He added that what is required is for Turkey to realise that it cannot continue not bearing any consequences when it threatens European countries, “such as, openly, and without any reason, Greece, the Greek islands, when it violates the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus, to the detriment, even of the Turkish Cypriots, when they take the actions they take in Famagusta, or the ongoing intransigent behaviour towards any international law.”

 

President Anastasiades also said that Turkey’s claim, that it is seeking a friendly settlement between its neighbouring countries based on International Law, is contradicted by the very actions it is taking.

 

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.

 

President Anastasiades conveyed a proposal on Confidence Building Measures through a letter to the Turkish Cypriot leader and the UN, last May, including provisions for the operation of the airport, located in Turkish-occupied Tymbou, under the UN, and the return of legal residents to Varosha, the fenced off part of Famagusta.

 

The proposed package of measures also provides for European Commission involvement in trade through Famagusta port and the implementation by Ankara of the Additional Protocol, allowing Cypriot-flagged vessels to access ports in Turkey. An escrow account for revenues from hydrocarbon activities, to be accessed by the Turkish Cypriot community is also proposed, provided that Cyprus and Turkey delineate their exclusive economic zones. The Turkish Cypriot side dismissed the package, proposing instead a set of “cooperation proposals” between two “states” in areas such as electricity, renewable energy, water and hydrocarbons.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Greek Cypriot side will not deviate from its firm commitment to solving the Cyprus problem based on the UN Security Council resolutions and the principles and values of the EU nor will it follow Ankara into a game of sensationalism, Minister of Defence Charalambos Petrides said on Sunday.

 

In his speech at a memorial in Limnatis village in the Limassol district, Petrides also said, “we declare that we are ready to conduct a sincere and honest dialogue, with the aim of reaching a just and functional solution, which will reunite our homeland and offer the possibility of coexistence and cooperation.”

 

The Defence Minister said that the rapprochement initiatives of the Greek Cypriot side for the recommencement of the dialogue were “systematically undermined” by Ankara with extreme statements, in a game of sensationalism, faits accomplis “and promoting the neo-Ottoman vision, which it seeks to impose on the Hellenic area and the wider region of the eastern Mediterranean.”

 

He said that the Republic of Cyprus, through the strong networks of alliances and partnerships it has developed in the regional and international geopolitical scene, relying on international law and using all available diplomatic means, raises “a shield of protection” against Ankara’s tactics. The Minister said Nicosia will continue to move in this direction as long as the Turkish provocations continue.

 

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

The 42nd Morphou Memory Days culminated on Sunday with the anti-occupation march of Morphou and the occupied communities of the Morphou District in the village of Astromeritis.

 

The events began with a memorial service for the fallen and a prayer for the finding of the missing and the return of the refugees to their ancestral homes at the Church of St. Avxivios in Astromeritis, in the presence of, among others, the President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, the President of the Parliament, Annita Demetriou, a representative of the Greek Parliament, leaders and representatives of political parties, Ambassadors, Mayors and Municipal Councils, foreign dignitaries.

 

In his address the Mayor of Morphou Victor Hadjiavraam said that the stagnation of the Cyprus problem over the last many years, the long interruption of any form of negotiation between the two sides, as well as international political developments, have resulted in the Cyprus problem being completely forgotten and we no longer hear almost any mention by the international community.

 

Hadjiavraam said that the struggle to preserve the memory of our occupied territories, the struggle to preserve the sense of injustice for what is happening in Cyprus in the conscience of the international community is the duty of all of us.

 

“The struggle for the reunification of our homeland can only be the duty of all Cypriots. But the heaviest debt, as is logical, falls on the shoulders of the government of the day. It was the debt of the present Government and it will be the debt of the next one, since we will have elections in a few months. The message I want to convey, and I think it is a message to all Cypriots, is that whoever is there will have to do better than all the previous ones,” he added.

 

“However, we should all accept that the outcome was not the desired one. Therefore, obviously something has to be done better this time since the present situation cannot continue. It is not even an option since we already see the occupying power revealing its long-standing aspirations for a two-state solution,” he noted.

 

He added that it is now clear that unless we finally find a mutually acceptable solution to the Cyprus problem, no one can guarantee our future and it is more than possible that things will get much worse.

 

The expectation of a return to Morphou was expressed in turn by Greek and British officials that participated in the ceremony.

 

The President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, in her greeting, which was read by the Ambassador of Greece in Nicosia, Ioannis Papameletiou, congratulated the Municipality of Morphou for keeping “unquenched and alive the expectation of return” through these events.

 

Sakellaropoulou stressed that “the termination of the Turkish occupation and the reunification of the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with one sovereignty, one international personality and one citizenship as provided for by the relevant United Nations resolutions and with the unhindered implementation of the European acquis in the entire Cypriot territory, is a constant concern and priority of Greece and Cyprus”.

 

The Vice President of the Hellenic Parliament and PASOK MP for Arcadia, Odysseas Konstantinopoulos, said in his greeting that he feels anger and sadness “for those that allowed the treasonous coup and the Turkish invasion”, as well as because Europe has tolerated Turkish provocativeness many times and because even today EU member states sell arms to Turkey and there is no embargo.

 

At the same time, he noted that he felt proud of Hellenism and of those who fought against the Turkish invader and expressed hope that by continuing the struggle to reach a solution to the Cyprus problem based on the framework set by the UN resolutions, that day will come “when there will be normality in Cyprus”.

 

For his part, British MP and honorary citizen of Morphou, Pambos Charalambous, suggested that “48 years of occupation is way too long and we need to do much more to put pressure on Turkey”.

 

He also noted that there must be justice for the families of the missing, the refugees, Morphou and Cyprus.

 

“In the UK you have many friends in parliament. We want to see a bizonal, bicommunal federation, we will push for that as much as we can, we want to make sure that there is a just solution for Cyprus, but soon,” Charalambous stressed.

 

British MP and honorary citizen of Morphou, Sir Roger Gale, in his address, which was read by Kyriakos Koudounas, Deputy Mayor of Morphou, stressed that for 39 years, as a member of the House of Commons and the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cyprus, which he chairs, he has supported the idea of the reunification of Cyprus “on fair and acceptable terms”.

 

“It is an outrage that for almost half a century, two generations, a part of Cyprus remains under the occupation of another member state of the Council of Europe, of which Cyprus is of course also a full and constructive member,” he added.

 

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe took strong measures against Russia, Gale said, adding that so far, no such measures have ever been taken against another member state, Turkey. “This is unacceptable and must stop,” he pointed out.

 

“I look forward to the day that together with my Cypriot friends I can walk the streets of a free and liberated Morphou and my parliamentary colleagues and I will stand by you for as long as it takes until that becomes a reality,” Gale concluded.

 

After the ceremonial part, the march to the Memorial of the Fallen began, where wreaths were laid, followed by the delivery of a protest petition by the residents of Morphou District to the head of the UN peacekeeping force.

 

In the resolution, addressed to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the Municipality of Morphou, the occupied communities of the Morphou Department and the organized groups of the city, state that on the occasion of the 42nd Morphou Anti-Occupation March and the 48th anniversary of the occupation of Morphou by the Turkish troops, they condemn once again the barbaric Turkish invasion of 1974 which left behind thousands of dead and missing persons, the continued occupation of 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and the forcible displacement of 200 thousand Greek Cypriots from their homes and properties.

 

They note that Turkey, with its revisionist policy and in complete disregard for international law, even today, continues to escalate its provocations with unacceptable and reprehensible actions, such as those in Famagusta, aimed at serving its goal of changing the basis of the Cyprus settlement, while refusing to engage in talks to find a solution.

 

“For our part, we reaffirm our commitment to a solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality as defined by the relevant UN resolutions. The solution should include the following provisions: One state with one sovereignty, one international personality and one nationality; Removal of occupying troops and guarantees; Restoration and safeguarding of human rights and fundamental freedoms of all legal residents of Cyprus; The reunification of our homeland and our people; Return of all refugees to their homes and properties in conditions of freedom and security; and verification of the fate of the missing persons,” they added.

 

They also state that “your contribution to our ongoing struggle and efforts for freedom and justice is of the utmost importance and therefore we appeal, once again, to both the United Nations and the European Union, as well as to the permanent members of the Security Council, to exert their influence on Turkey so that its intransigent, unacceptable and provocative stance can be reversed and it engages in talks based on international law.”

 

They also note that treating Turkey with only rhetorical declarations in opposition to sanctions and measures against Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine does not satisfy them.

 

“Cyprus can be an example of reconciliation, peace, prosperity and stability, not only for the Eastern Mediterranean, but for all of humanity. We call for the resumption of the talks within the framework of the United Nations and the principles and values of the European Union and we declare our unwavering will to continue the struggle until the final vindication and the end of the occupation”, the Municipality of Morphou, the occupied communities of the Morphou district and the organised groups of the city conclude in their petition.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency