A letter to mark 48 years since Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus has been addressed to the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson by the National Federation of Cypriots President Christos Karaolis.
The letter notes that “Turkey’s occupation and gross violations of international law continue to bring suffering and hardship to all Cypriots.”
Reminding Johnson that a large proportion of the UK Cypriot community are refugees or relatives of the missing persons since the 1974 invasion, Karaolis writes: “We remain steadfast in our belief that a reunited Cyprus where all Cypriots can peacefully live and prosper together is both attainable and viable – a solution that is based on the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions and High-Level Agreements.”
The Federation President laments “Turkey’s continued unacceptable demands about its own influence in a reunified Cyprus” as the reason why efforts to reunify the island have not yet produced a successful outcome.
He then draws a parallel between the invasion of Cyprus and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The invasion of Ukraine has, I believe, brought into sharper focus the idea that ‘might is right’ must not be allowed to prevail,” writes Karaolis, urging the UK “to hold the same standards when it comes to Turkey.”
He urges the UK Government to support a solution based on the internationally accepted model of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality and a single sovereignty, single international personality and single citizenship – as set out in relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions;
Also, to support the resumption of substantive negotiations on the Cyprus issue from the point at which they were left off in Crans Montana in 2017 as well as a functional reunified Cyprus which will be a continuation of the Republic of Cyprus;
He also calls for a strong opposition to any partitionist actions that seek to create fait accomplis, including the illegal re-opening of part of the fenced off area of Varosha and support the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, including on Varosha.;
Finally, he calls for support to the abolishment of guarantees for a reunified Cyprus.
Karaolis thanks the UK Government for the “clear” support provided for the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and then expresses the community’s deep concern about the Turkish President Erdogan’s “increasingly aggressive and authoritarian policies towards Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean region.”
He also criticises the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar’s “choice” to increase tensions, with President Erdogan’s “active support”, by his actions regarding Varosha, the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone, the refugee crisis and “the unacceptable calls for a ‘two-state solution’.”
In closing, Karaolis writes to PM Johnson: “As a Guarantor Power, and an ally of Turkey, it is clear that HMG has a critical role to play in persuading Turkey to engage constructively with the Confidence Building Measures proposed by President Anastasiades, to return to the negotiations as soon as possible, and to table proposals that are within the agreed parameters of UN Security Council Resolutions. HMG has the power to make a lasting difference in relation to Cyprus and, on this tragic anniversary, we urge you to exercise this proactively and constructively.”
Source: Cyprus News Agency