The non-resolution of the Cyprus problem for more than 47 years due to Turkish intransigence constitutes a major challenge for Cyprus, Greece and the entire international community, Ambassador of Greece to the Republic of Cyprus Ioannis Papameletiou said in his television message on the anniversary of March 25, 1821, noting that the principled position on developments in Ukraine is fully applicable to the case of Cyprus, which is also a victim of invasion and occupation.
He stressed that for Greece, the Cyprus problem is the top national issue and that the removal of the consequences of the invasion and the end of the occupation, with the full restoration of the international and European legal order, remains an unwavering goal.
He also noted that Greece's main priority is the protection of the Greek diaspora in war-torn Ukraine, which is being put to the test, having already mourned victims.
He said that for Greece, safeguarding the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of all states, respect for international law and the UN Charter are fundamental principles of Greek foreign policy, adding that in this context the Russian invasion of Ukraine was condemned from the very first moment by the entire political and political leadership of Greece.
He added that Greece and Cyprus coordinate and co-decide with their partners in the European Union and fully implement the decisions taken, including the restrictive measures.
"We express our full solidarity with our partners in the European Union, especially those who are currently facing particularly large waves of refugees. And we ask other countries, particularly those that are candidates for accession, to align themselves with the decisions of the European Union, particularly with regard to the adoption of restrictive measures," Papameletiou continued.
In relation to the Cyprus issue, he also said that Turkey and the current Turkish Cypriot leadership are making efforts to change the basis of the Cyprus settlement, insisting on claims that can in no way be accepted, as they are outside the agreed framework of the United Nations.
Regarding efforts to impose new negative fait accompli in Varosha, he noted that it must be understood that international legitimacy, as reflected in the relevant and binding United Nations Security Council resolutions and United Nations parameters, dictates that the resolution of the Cyprus problem will be achieved through the transformation of the Republic of Cyprus into a bizonal, bicommunal federation with one sovereignty, one international personality and one nationality.
"Greece and Cyprus have also made it absolutely clear that there is no agreed solution without the abolition of the anachronistic system of guarantees and the complete withdrawal of the occupying troops," he said, adding that "Greece will continue to underline the need for the immediate resumption of talks within the agreed framework."
Mr. Papameletiou further noted that Greece supports the efforts of President Anastasiades and the Cypriot government to put forward targeted and courageous Confidence Building Measures, which can contribute to the creation of an appropriate climate for the resumption of talks.
The Greek Ambassador also said that Turkey's continued challenge to international law on the part of Turkey is a challenge. He added that Ankara's aggressive rhetoric has taken on new dimensions on the occasion of the insistence of senior Turkish officials on the completely absurd and unsubstantiated demand for the demilitarization of the islands, in connection with the open questioning of their sovereignty.
He went on to say that Ankara should realize that no one has the legitimacy to make threats to use force to claim the denial of sovereign rights as defined in international law, including the law of the sea.
He noted that Greece will continue to support dialogue with the neighbouring country and at the same time, will continue to stress the need to respect international law in the Eastern Mediterranean and the sovereign right of the Republic of Cyprus to exploit its resources.
"Together with Cyprus, we will continue to jointly address challenges and threats, upholding our unwavering commitment to the integrity, sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Cyprus and being in constant cooperation and full coordination at all levels, bilaterally, within the framework of the E.U.At the regional level, we will continue to strengthen trilateral cooperation schemes, which serve as multipliers of diplomatic power. At the same time, when Greece and Cyprus face revisionist and expansionist logics, it is legitimate and necessary to have deterrent power, he further said.
The Greek Ambassador recalled that the Greeks of Cyprus, as an integral part of the nation, paid a high price by actively participating in the struggle for all, whether it was Ioannis Karatzas who was martyred on the side of King King in Belgrade, or Archbishop Kyprianos and the primates who were executed in July 1821, or Cypriot fighters who went to Greece to fight, such as the brothers Nikolaos and Theophilos Theseas, adding that if one calculates that the population of Cyprus at that time was 80.He also said that the celebration of the anniversary of the 1821 Revolution is an opportunity for reflection and drawing useful conclusions, noting that the preservation of faith, with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of their language as a reference point, contributed decisively to the survival of the Greeks during the periods of slavery.
Source: KYPE
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