Cyprus remains consistent in its standing positions on the issue of Kosovo, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Theodoros Gotsis, told CNA on Thursday.
Asked by the CNA to comment on the approval on Tuesday by the Plenary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) of an opinion on the subject of Kosovo’s accession to the Council of Europe (CoE), Gotsis noted that Cyprus remains consistent as regards its standing positions, and ‘fully committed’ to the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.
Therefore, he added, ‘it does not recognise the unilaterally declared independence’.
He noted that this position of the Republic of Cyprus, was expressed at the Council of Europe through the positions of the representatives of Cyprus in the Parliamentary Assembly, ‘an issue that was also raised during last year’s debate, when we also voted against’.
At the same time, Gotsis said, Cyprus fully supports the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue which is under the auspices of the EU.
Accor
ding to an announcement by Cyprus’ House of Representatives, in the framework of the PACE’s second Session for 2024, 131 MPs voted in favour of the Opinion, 29 members against and 11 MPs abstained, with the members of the Cypriot delegation, George Loucaides and Christiana Erotokritou, voting against the Opinion.
The final decision on the Kosovo’s membership rests with the CoE’s Committee of Ministers.
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. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Columbia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
Source: Cyprus News Agency