President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades said on Friday that he will continue to fight for Cyprus’ reunification until the very end of his term. Addressing the ideological and political conference of ruling DISY party, in Nicosia, the President also spoke of Turkey’s threats and expressed hope that Europe’s support will be decisive.
“We sought and continue to seek dialogue for a peaceful, sustainable and functioning Cyprus solution” the President said, and referred to the last attempt in 2017 for a comprehensive settlement, saying that we came very close to a solution.
“If we failed to achieve this, this was not our responsibility, but Turkey’s responsibility as recorded in the published UN minutes, but also due to an insistence to an anachronistic system of guarantees and to maintain occupying troops in our country on a permanent basis” he added.
The President went on to say that Turkey’s intentions were confirmed through the recent announcements made by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which presented a number of maps, revealing Ankara’s revisionist approach.
The President pledged not to stop fighting until the end of his term at the Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus – a term that ends next year – in order for Cyprus to get rid of Turkey’s occupation and become a reunited country, with full respect to the rights of all citizens, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
“We never even thought of usurping the rights of our compatriots” the Turkish Cypriots, he added, while at the same time “others usurp the land of our ancestors.”
We expressed hope that the support coming from Europe, friends and allies will be decisive in causing a differentiated approach from “a neighbouring country which unfortunately causes concern for peace and stability in the region.”
The President also referred to developments in the economy and employment, saying that after the financial crisis the government managed to restore Cyprus’ credit rankings, reduce unemployment from 17% to 6% and even achieve full employment conditions just as the pandemic was starting to hit, with a pre-pandemic growth of 4.5%.
He also said that the state disbursed €3.6 bln to support the economy and the citizens during the pandemic. In 2021 growth reached 5.7%, over the EU average, while unemployment remained at pre-pandemic levels, he added. Today we are called to deal a new global financial crisis, as a result of Russia’s invasion to Ukraine, the President went on and assured those present that both the government and the ruling party will continue to conduct politics in a responsible manner, in order to also successfully tackle the present crisis.
Speaking about efforts to enhance the National Guard, the President said that deterrence has been augmented significantly through various programs and pointed to the various threats Cyprus is facing.
During the conference, President Anastasiades endorsed the candidacy of ruling DISY party President, Averof Neophytou, as his successor in the Presidency of the Republic.
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.
Source: Cyprus News Agency