A just, final and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, which will restore international order and legitimacy, continues to be Greece’s and Cyprus’ common national goal, Greek Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece, Giorgos Kotsiras, who is in Cyprus for the World Conference of Cyprus Diaspora, said on Thursday in a written statement. Kotsiras, who is visiting Cyprus, on his first official trip abroad as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, to participate in the Conference, which he called ‘an extremely important institution for global Hellenism’, had a meeting with President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and with the President of the House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou. He noted in his statement that, as he also emphasised in his greeting at the opening ceremony of the Conference, Greece and Cyprus, ‘as peoples and as states, are linked by eternal fraternal ties, which also extend to the level of the Diaspora.’ ‘Hellenism is unitary and an invaluable ally of our top national priorities. We are proud of its dynamic presence and grateful for its catalytic role in spreading our values, the Greek language and culture and in defending our national rights’, he added. The Greek Deputy Foreign Minister also said that a just, final and viable solution to the Cyprus issue, ‘which will restore international order and legitimacy, and will be based on the implementation of the UN Security Council Decisions’, continues to be a common national goal. He noted, however, that the Turkish Cypriot attacks against the members of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Pyla were ‘unacceptable actions’ against international legitimacy and were condemnable. Athens and Nicosia are in full coordination and are taking all appropriate actions at the European and international level, he said. Kotsiras said that, while in Cyprus, he held meetings on matters of common interest with Egypt’s Minister of Emigration and Expatriate Affairs, Soha Samir Nashed Gendi, and the Armenian High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, Zareh Sinanyan, who also participated in the Conference, as well as with representatives of organisations of Greek citizens residing in Cyprus. He said that, on Thursday he will meet with the Archbishop of Cyprus, Georgios and later with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Constantinos Kombos, while he will attend, in the context of the Conference, the speech by ‘the great friend of Greece and Hellenism’, US Senator Robert Menendez. 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. Members of the Security Council condemned on August 22, 2023, the incidents in the buffer zone, in the village of Pyla, in the Larnaca district, with assaults against UN peacekeepers, reiterating their full support for UNFICYP. They also condemned the attacks on UN peacekeepers and the damage to UN vehicles by Turkish Cypriot personnel and wished a speedy and full recovery to the peacekeepers who were injured. They emphasized that “attacks against peacekeepers may constitute crimes under international law and reaffirmed their full commitment to the safety of all UN personnel.” On Friday August 18,2023 Turkish Cypriots punched and kicked a group of international peacekeepers who obstructed crews illegally working on a road that would encroach on a U.N. controlled buffer zone.
Source: Cyprus News Agency