Nicosia: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus has condemned the illegal visit of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus to launch a project that promotes the illegal regime. The Ministry warned that such actions and positions undermine the entire effort to achieve progress towards substantial negotiations and are disrespectful to international law and the United Nations.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a press release on Saturday evening stating that it “condemns the illegal visit of the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials to the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus to launch a project that highlights and promotes the secessionist entity, in violation of international law and the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.”
The Ministry further elaborated that the symbolic character attempted to be given to the illegal visit aligns with the increase in Turkish rhetoric on the
“two-state solution,” which reveals Turkish intentions to exert full control over the occupied areas of Cyprus. This visit follows recent statements by Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar about expectations of further actions to promote the pseudo-state and Ankara’s efforts to impose its will on Turkish Cypriots, notably on issues related to cultural identity, such as the effort to introduce the headscarf in schools.
The Ministry highlighted that these actions contribute to ongoing violations of the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, which have persisted for fifty-one years and have been condemned by the international community.
The Ministry emphasized that such actions and positions undermine efforts to resume negotiations under the auspices of the UN for a solution to the Cyprus Issue based on relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. This comes amid intense efforts to create conditions for resuming negotiations, including the recent appointment of María Angela
Holguín Cuéllar as the UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus.
The Government of the Republic of Cyprus remains committed to the ultimate goal of reunification based on the agreed UN framework, aiming to safeguard the interests of all Cypriots in a free and reunited EU Member State.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, following Turkey’s invasion and occupation of its northern third. Despite repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks, a resolution has not been achieved due to Turkish intransigence. The latest negotiations in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended without a conclusive outcome. An illegal breakaway entity declared independence unilaterally on November 15, 1983, in the areas under Turkish occupation, an action condemned as legally null and void by the UN Security Council and the international community.