Nicosia: Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis has condemned the visit of British MP Afzal Khan to the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus initiated demarches with the British Government from the outset, emphasizing that Khan’s visit was made in a personal capacity without prior notification and unrelated to his official duties. “The relevant representations have been made to him for his unacceptable behaviour,” Letymbiotis stated.
Letymbiotis criticized Khan’s presence in the Turkish-occupied territories and photographs with the occupying leader in the presence of symbols of the pseudo-state as “absolutely condemnable and unacceptable.” He further remarked that actions by individuals, especially those in official positions, attempt to create false impressions and contradict the established position of all British Governments, which maintain a clear stance of supporting international legitimacy and non-recognition of the pseudo-state.
“We expect all UK officials to show respect for their country’s policy, as well as for the bilateral relations between Cyprus and the UK,” Letymbiotis added. He noted that letters of protest from British MPs followed after relevant actions by the Federation of UK Cypriots.
It is noted that Khan is a Labour MP of Pakistani origin and the UK’s trade envoy to Turkey. The British Government has appointed 28 of its MPs as trade envoys to various continents and countries.
Meanwhile, British MP Wendy Morton, in a letter to UK Minister of State for Europe Stephen Doughty, expressed ‘deep concern’ about Khan’s visit to the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, highlighting that the visit undermines the credibility of the United Kingdom as an impartial interlocutor in negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus problem. Morton also questioned Khan’s continued role as the UK’s trade envoy to Turkey, noting that he traveled via Tymbou airport, despite the British government’s policy against direct flights to the occupied areas.
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.
An illegal breakaway entity declared independence unilaterally on November 15, 1983, in the areas under Turkish occupation, an action condemned by the UN Security Council and the international community as legally null and void. The illegal declaration followed the partition of the island after the Turkish military invaded Cyprus in 1974, occupying one-third of its territory ever since.