Cyprus acts proactively in order to prevent the creation of any new fait accompli, and through diplomatic channels it is taking all necessary actions and steps to prevent any illegal actions by the Turkish side, Government Spokesman, Marios Pelekanos, said on Sunday.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the second event for the presentation of the “Cyprus – Tomorrow Plan”, at the capital’s Nicosia Mall and asked about statements on the part of the Turkish Cypriot side about the opening of a second area in the fenced off city of Famagusta and Turkish provocations, Pelekanos said that “the Government and the President of the Republic himself, as well as the Foreign Minister, but also through diplomatic channels, we are taking all necessary actions and steps to prevent any illegal action from happening, whether it concerns our Exclusive Economic Zone, our territory, or the fenced off city of Famagusta,” he said.
It is a fact, he continued, that there is currently a stalemate in the Cyprus problem due to the ongoing and overt Turkish intransigence. We are seeing, he added, a new revisionist behaviour, much more aggressive than before on the part of Turkey, which is not only manifesting itself in the case of Cyprus, but also in the Aegean Sea, Libya, Iraq, Nagorno Karabakh etc.
“We are called upon, as Cyprus, and this is what we are doing, to act proactively in order to prevent the creation of any new fait accompli, but at the same time to work in such a way that we create the conditions for returning to dialogue,” Pelekanos said, adding that the other side, after Ersin Tatar took over the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community, continues to demand that equal sovereign rights be recognized to the illegal entity before it agrees to take any step in the Cyprus problem. Of course, he stressed, this will not be accepted.
“We will continue to work and intensify our efforts with the aim of returning to the dialogue table within the framework set by the Security Council resolutions,” Pelkanos said, adding that in this direction the President had meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, while a meeting with the eight leaders of the EU Mediterranean countries was also held. He noted that “we have also seen the EUMED9 joint declaration, and we are fully satisfied as it makes clear that the claim to change the framework for a solution will not be accepted.”
Asked if there is any news regarding the involvement of the European Union and the United Nations in the Cyprus issue settlement process, Pelekanos said that this has been the decision of the UN Secretary General himself, a decision that was communicated to both sides more than a year ago. In fact, he continued, it is a decision that the Secretary-General had discussed with the two leaders in September 2021 in New York and has been pending ever since.
He added that the involvement of senior UN officials is a positive element, such as the Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca, who recently visited Cyprus. He also said that if the SG goes ahead with the appointment of an envoy, either special or personal, then a better preparation of the ground would be possible. As far as EU involvement is concerned, he said that some time should be given since just a few weeks ago President Anastasiades held meetings with the leaders of Germany and France and the day before yesterday there was a discussion with the leaders of the Mediterranean countries.
Commenting on the European energy crisis, Pelekanos said that Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, the Republic of Cyprus and other states in the region are all showing good will to cooperate in order to contribute to the EU’s goal of not being reliant on Russian fossil fuels, oil and gas. Unfortunately, he continued, Turkey remains uncooperative and continues to threaten Cyprus and illegally claims part of the EEZ. “But this will not hinder our efforts in cooperation with other neighbouring states,” he said.
On the “Cyprus – Tomorrow Plan”, Pelekanos said that “it is a Plan designed by Cypriots for Cypriots, a Plan that will inject into our economy funds exceeding 4 billion euros, with the aim of seeing the implementation of various reforms and various development projects that relate to different pillars such as health, education, employment and so on. He added that the Plan is the legacy of Nicos Anastasiades’ administration to the future generations.
Source: Cyprus News Agency