The solution to the Cyprus problem is Greece’s top national issue but also a challenge for the entire international community, the Ambassador to Cyprus, Ioannis Papameletiou, said on Saturday, during a reception to mark the Greek Independence Day in Nicosia, that was attended among others, by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides.
Papameletiou said that Greece supports Christodoulides’ efforts for the resumption of the peace talks and the creation of conditions for the solution, within the framework of the UN decisions. He also said that Greece agrees on the need for a more active involvement of the EU, under the auspices of the UN.
Papameletiou said that for the past 49 years the international legitimacy is being violated in Cyprus, adding that the termination of the occupation remains our unwavering goal.
The Greek Ambassador also said that the claims of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership to change the basis of the solution cannot be accepted as they deviate from the agreed framework provided by the UN Security Council resolutions.
He also denounced the Turkish claims at the fenced off town of Famagusta (Varosha) saying that they further hinder the prospect for a solution. Papameletiou in his address also said that Greece and Cyprus are poles of stability, peace and security in the region.
President Christodoulides had on Saturday a telephone conversation with the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to convey his best wishes on the occasion of the Greek national day.
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