We remain resolute in our fight and determined to end the illegal occupation, Cyprus’ Foreign Minister, Constantinos Kombos said on Friday evening in his remarks at the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) Founders Day Event, held in Nicosia, noting that only a comprehensive settlement, within the agreed UN framework, can pave the way for a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Cyprus.
The Minister, who was honoured during the event by AHEPA – that celebrated on Friday 102 years since its establishment – with the ‘2024 George C. Marshall Award for Diplomatic Service’, focused on his remarks on the Cyprus problem, the country’s role in the wider Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East and on the Cyprus-US relations.
Noting that, a few days ago, marked the 50th, dark, anniversary of the illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Kombos said that, five decades of continuing Turkish occupation of more than one third of the territory of Cyprus, of EU territory, and of an ongoing violation of internati
onal law, of fundamental human rights and of the principles of the UN Charter, was ‘enough.’
‘We remain resolute in our fight and determined to end the illegal occupation. To reunify the island and its people’, he said.
‘Only a comprehensive settlement, within the agreed UN framework, can pave the way for a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Cyprus’, the Minister added. Anything else, he said, ‘belongs to the realm of illegality, with dangerous repercussions for the international community as a whole.’
Legalising aggression and its products were not an option, he said, while appeasing the aggressor and invader was not pragmatism. And this applies not just for Cyprus, as the Pandora’s Box would be opened for the international community, he noted.
As regards foreign policy, he said Nicosia’s aim was to expand its diplomatic footprint, noting that Cyprus ‘is part of the solution in the region.’
He said that Cyprus’ geographical position, its long-established and excellent diplomatic relationships with the cou
ntries in the region, its EU membership of the EU, were the main characteristics rendering Cyprus a pillar of stability in the region and a predictable and reliable partner.
‘These advantages create opportunities, and also responsibilities’, he said.
He referred to Cyprus’ initiative for a one-way maritime corridor to Gaza via Cyprus, the Amalthea plan, ‘based on our geographic proximity and our moral and legal obligations under international humanitarian law.’
‘We offered an option to the international community that did not exist’, he said, adding that ‘we set up a lifeline for the people in Gaza.’
He also highlighted Cyprus’ role as a safe humanitarian hub and referred to its role during various crises, such as for the purposes of evacuations from danger zones, noting Lebanon in 2006, Sudan in 2023, and Israel a few months ago. ‘And on alert for a possible situation developing in Lebanon’, Kombos noted.
He also said that Cyprus-US relations ‘have now reached a historic high’. This strategic partnershi
p, through increased bilateral cooperation, has proven mutually beneficial for both countries and for the Eastern Mediterranean, he added.
The Minister also said that the relationship between Cyprus and the US had ‘immense potential’, noting that the Government was actively working with the US Administration to unlock this potential and forge an even closer bond.
‘The establishment of a Strategic Dialogue, which I had the honor to announce along with Secretary Blinken last month in Washington DC, is a testament to how far our relations have come’, he added.
‘We truly believe that the wheels are now set in motion to expand the Cyprus-US, results-oriented partnership, to explore the untapped potential’, he said.
He also said that AHEPA’s ‘unwavering support, your commitment to the cause, are inspiring.’
Kombos said he was ‘grateful and honoured’ to receive the 2024 AHEPA George C. Marshall Award for Diplomatic Service, noting however, that ‘there is no ‘I’ in teamwork’, and that on behalf of the Foreign Mi
nistry’s diplomats, he expressed ‘deep appreciation’ to AHEPA.
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. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
Source: Cyprus News Agency