Nicosia: The Turkish occupation in Cyprus is an anomaly for the country and for Europe, we cannot accept the existence of such a division, said the President of the Congress of Deputies (Lower House) of Spain, Francina Armengol Socias, on Monday, during a meeting of a Spanish parliamentary delegation, including the Vice-President of the Spanish Senate, Javier Ignacio Maroto Aranz¡bal, with the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, at the House of Representatives.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee, DISY MP Harris Georgiades, welcomed the delegation and expressed the view that “as the European Union we must leave the ‘comfort zone’ in which we have remained for many years” and that “the EU cannot remain an economic giant but also a geopolitical dwarf”. Referring to Turkey, Georgiades noted that “we do not want Turkey to be cut off from Europe, we want Turkey to become a European neighbour”, adding that “our common interests and our common values do not allow us to turn a blind eye when such states behave in a way that is extremely destabilising and undermining in relation to our common values”.
For her part, Socias emphasized that “this is our first visit to Cyprus, but it will not be our last”. She noted that Spain will take over the Parliamentary Committee for the Union of the Mediterranean, and referred to the issue of migratory flows, highlighting the need to study and understand migration. Socias also mentioned the call by House President Annita Demetriou for cooperation between all the parliaments of Southern Europe to address this issue, drawing on Spain’s experience as a country of first reception of migrants and noting the influx through the Canary Islands.
Socias, with her experience as President of the Balearic Islands for eight years, expressed understanding of Cyprus’s challenges and opportunities as a Mediterranean island. “The Turkish occupation of Cyprus is an anomaly for the country and for Europe. We cannot accept the existence of such a division,” she stressed, advocating for dialogue towards a bizonal bicommunal federation solution. “The Government, the Parliament and the Senate of Spain are with you,” she assured.
The President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain also discussed the importance of bilateral cooperation on several issues and the need for pressure to implement initiatives at the European Commission and Parliament levels. She commended Cyprus’s role as a Mediterranean stability pillar, promoting dialogue to resolve conflicts and assisting in evacuating Spanish citizens from war zones.
Maroto Aranz¡bal highlighted the need to raise awareness among EU member states about Turkey’s occupation of Cyprus, noting that “Europe is not thoroughly aware of this reality”. He expressed the Spanish Parliament and Senate’s commitment to informing Spain about the situation in Cyprus, emphasizing the necessity of a strong EU and Commission to progress. “Only if we have stability can we move forward,” he asserted, pointing out Europe’s current instability and the growing number of European parliamentarians who question European values, while also mentioning “Russia finances such situations.”
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.