Nicosia: The issue of the ongoing illegal detention of five Greek Cypriot citizens in Cyprus’ Turkish-occupied areas was raised by the Republic of Cyprus during an intervention at the informal EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) on Monday, stressing the need for the immediate mobilisation of both the EU institutions and member states by exerting pressure on Turkey for their release.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the informal FAC was held following the initiative of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. The Republic of Cyprus was represented at the Council, which was conducted via video conference, by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Theodora Constantinidou.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that “the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine in view of the upcoming meeting of the US President with the Russian President, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East” were the issues discussed at the Council. During her intervention and following the demarches that took place during the previous days, in addition to the issues on the agenda, Constantinidou “urgently raised the issue of the ongoing illegal detention of the five Greek Cypriot citizens by the occupying forces.”
The press release emphasised “the necessity for the immediate mobilisation of both the EU institutions and its member states by exerting pressure on Turkey for the release of our fellow citizens.” 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.
The five Greek Cypriots have been illegally detained in the Turkish-occupied areas for almost one month.