House of Representatives President Annita Demetriou conveyed on Monday the Republic’s goal for a resumption of negotiations of the Cyprus problem, to P. Fassino, Italian MP and representative of the of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), who is paying Cyprus a visit since yesterday.
Fassino, in coordination with Cypriot PACE members, was the rapporteur of “Call for return of Famagusta to its lawful residents” report in the Committee of the PACE. During his visit in Cyprus, he will be meeting the Republic’s officers and other agencies, to talk on the subject of Turkish occupied Famagusta.
Demetriou said after the meeting that she informed Fassino about the latest provocative actions in Famagusta, on behalf of the Turkish Cypriot leadership, as well as about the provocative declarations of Erdogan about “national flights” (form the illegal airport in Turkish occupied Tymbou).
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Varosha, the fenced off section of the Turkish occupied town of Famagusta, is often described as a ‘ghost town’. 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. In his latest report to the Security Council, UN Secretary-General Guterres underlines the importance of adhering fully to UN resolutions, underscoring that the position of the United Nations on this matter “remains unchanged.”
Demetriou also said that Fassino’s presence in Cyprus is considered very important, just like the role of the EU in the Cyprus problem. Answering a journalist’s question, she added that the Italian MP understands that the Republic’s position is all about lawful rights, about the UN and the values that the EU represents, but he also understands the difficulties, as she said.
The House President mentioned that, through his meetings with President Anastasiadis and other state officials the goals is to make clear that the Republic’s wish is for the resumption of negotiations, on the basis of the solution framework provided by the UN. She stressed out that “in no way is a solution of two separate states acceptable, nor anything incompatible with the law or directly or indirectly justifying the occupation”.
Demetriou added that “just as the entire European community stands by Ukraine and against Russia, as the latter is clearly acting against the international law, we ask the EU to support Cyprus, after half a century of illegal actions by Turkey, which have peaked with its latest actions in Varosha”.
Source: Cyprus News Agency