Larnaca: Turkey is absent from regional cooperation and it is its own responsibility, due to that it does not respect good neighbourly relations, does not respect cooperation, and attempts to impose itself on other states, which cannot be accepted, President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides said Tuesday.
According to Cyprus News Agency, in statements to journalists while visiting a military camp in Larnaca ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, President Christodoulides was asked about his visit to Israel on Monday. He noted that he returned from 'a successful Trilateral Conference, the tenth in a row, and this alone shows the resilience of this cooperation in difficult times, with several challenges in the region'.
He said that what he notes from yesterday's Summit was the strengthening of cooperation between the three countries, especially in the areas of energy, defence and security, and civil protection. 'And we are proceeding immediately to implement all that was agreed yesterday', he added.
In a comment by a journalist on media reports regarding the Trilateral's messages to Turkey, President Christodoulides noted that he has said it many times, 'we always work on the basis of a positive agenda. We are coming closer to all the states of the region, not because of Turkey, but precisely on the basis of a positive approach to create conditions for security and cooperation.'
He noted that Turkey is absent from regional cooperation and this was 'its own responsibility, due to the fact that it does not respect good neighbourly relations, does not respect cooperation, attempts to impose itself on other states and this cannot be accepted.'
He expressed hope that conditions would prevail soon as regards the Cyprus problem and other issues, 'and that Turkey will also participate,' he added.
In response to a journalist's comment that the Turkish media perceive the reference in the Trilateral Joint Declaration to the intention to create a center of excellence for cybersecurity as the creation of an Israeli base in Cyprus, the President noted that, 'only Turkey has such approaches in Cyprus.' Cybersecurity issues are very important, and they affect all the countries in the region, he said, adding that this center will operate in a way to be able to face all the challenges that arise from cybersecurity issues.