Georgia looks forward to Cyprus’ support for its European aspirations and recognizes that it can learn from Cyprus, which has followed the same path until it joined the bloc, President Salome Zourabichvili said on Tuesday, in statements to the press following a meeting she had in Nicosia with President Nicos Anastasiades.
In her comments she noted the symbolism of the visit, as it is the first official visit of a Georgian President to the island, following the first ever visit of a Cypriot President to Georgia in 2019. This was also noted by President Anastasiades in his press statements.
On the agenda of the talks were the Cyprus issue, the European aspirations of Georgia, the Eastern Mediterranean, the situation in the Caucasus, bilateral relations and ways to promote them and the pandemic as well as the fight against corruption. The President of the Republic in his statements said that Zourabichvilli’s visit to the island is a return of the warm hospitality that he and his delegation received in Georgia in 2019, in the first visit of a Cypriot President to the country. He said that the visit of the Georgian President and that of himself, in 2019, are important milestones in the efforts to strengthen the cooperation of the two countries at bilateral and multilateral level.
He referred to the long-standing and excellent relationship between the two countries and the historical, cultural and religious ties, emphasizing that the Georgian community is one of the oldest Orthodox communities on the island. The President said that Cyprus highly appreciates the community’s activity and presence on the island and this is the reason it decided to grant land in Gialia village for the construction of a monastery where a Georgian church stood many centuries ago.
The President said that an exchange of views took place to further deepen bilateral cooperation and to speed up the process of concluding agreements and memoranda of cooperation. The Cyprus-Georgia Association will also be utilized for initiatives for the development of cooperation in the commercial and investment sector.
According to the President, during the talks they discussed developments in the Caucasus and Nagorno-Karabakh and security issues in the Black Sea, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean due to recent developments in Iraq, elections in Libya and instability in Lebanon and Syria. As he said, he informed about the initiatives of Nicosia at bilateral and multilateral level for building cooperation mechanisms for security and stability in the region, on the basis of respect for international law and good neighborly relations.
Georgia-EU relations were also on the agenda in view of the Eastern Partnership meeting scheduled for December, noting Cyprus’ given support for efforts to deepen Brussels-Tbilisi relations.
He said that he briefed his Georgian counterpart on the Cyprus issue and Turkey`s unacceptable demands and provocations for a change in the agreed solution base, developments in Varosia, the concession of Greek Cypriot land by the Turkish Cypriot illegal regime to the occupying Turkish army, the situation in the exclusive economic zone and the exploitation of refugees for the demographic change of the areas controlled by the Republic of Cyprus.
The President expressed Nicosia’s deep appreciation for Georgia’s stance in the Cyprus issue and stressed that Cyprus adheres to the same principles regarding the national problem of Georgia and supports the positive outcome of the Geneva talks.
The Georgian President in her statements expressed great delight for her visit referring to the symbolism of the first visit of the Georgian President to the island. She said that this reflects the political initiative of the two countries to deepen their relations at a political and cultural level.
The Georgian President referred to the common history of the two countries and their common problems and the great appreciation of the people of Georgia for the concession of land for the construction of the monastery. She characteristically said that this is highly valued because Georgians are used to have land taken away from them, not granting them land.
She also expressed her country`s appreciation for Cyprus’ support for Georgia’s sovereign and territorial integrity and for its accession to the EU, saying that Georgia as well always supports Cyprus’ territorial integrity and all UN agreements.
She went on to say that the two countries enjoy almost 30 years of diplomatic relations and need to take the next step to raise them even higher in many areas. The Georgian President said her country`s occupation of 20% of its territory is a difficult situation and referred to Russia`s new border policy, as she described it, adding that her country is grateful to friendly countries for their support.
Regarding her country`s accession to the EU, she said that she looks forward to further support from Nicosia, saying that the EU presence in Georgia and its participation in the Caucasus issues and what is happening there is necessary. Zourabichvili said it is important to strengthen bilateral relations in the cultural sector as well, and said that Georgian cultural days should be held in Cyprus and Cyprus days in Georgia on the occasion of 30 years of diplomatic relations next year.
Regarding the gas fields in the region, she said that her country wants to be informed about the developments and to participate where possible. She also referred to the tourism sector and said that although Georgia cannot compete with Cyprus in this field, the flow of tourists to Georgia could be strengthened because its economy is based on tourism. She also expressed gratitude for the hospitality of Cyprus to the Georgian Diaspora on the island.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Numerous rounds of talks under the UN aegis to reunite the island under a federal roof failed to yield results.
UN Security Council resolution 550 (1984) considers any attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the UN. Resolution 789 (1992) also urges that with a view to the implementation of resolution 550 (1984), the area at present under the control of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus be extended to include Varosha.
Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, announced in July 2021 a partial lifting of the military status in Varosha.
On October 8, 2020, the Turkish side opened part of the fenced area of Varosha, following an announcement made in Ankara on October 6. Both the UN Secretary-General and the EU expressed concern, while the UN Security Council called for the reversal of this course of action.
Source: Cyprus News Agency