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The President of the Republic Mr. Nikos Christodoulides met today in Thessaloniki with the Regional Governor of Central Macedonia Mr. Apostolos Tzitzikosta. Accepting three coins from the Regional Governor of Thessaloniki as a souvenir dating back to the time of Philip II, President Christodoulides said the following. Continued re-election. We, in the case of Cyprus, but also in my previous capacity as Foreign Minister, and I want to note this, we know all too well the important work, the recognition and appreciation with his roles at the European level. And for us it is very important that personalities like you, from the positions that you have served in at the European level, highlight issues of Cypriot interest and the Cyprus problem, but also other issues that are of interest to our region. It is something that, I repeat, I felt strongly, particularly during my time as Foreign Minister, and I would like to mention.
Asked whether he will meet with Mr. Tatar on Saturday, upon his return, President Christodoulides said: "I will meet with the personal envoy of the Secretary-General. From there, if there is any invitation for such a meeting, of course I will respond positively."
Asked to comment on what his proposal would be in case a meeting with Turkish President Erdoğan is reached, the President replied. We are always ready for such a meeting. Let me first and foremost mention that the coordination and cooperation with the Greek government is excellent. We are in constant consultation with the Greek Prime Minister. On the occasion of my being in Thessaloniki, I would like to thank the Greek Government, the Greek Prime Minister and the Greek people for this enduring support. Beyond that, the Greek-Turkish dialogue is ongoing. It is something we welcome. We believe that progress in Greek-Turkish relations will also benefit the Cyprus issue, bearing in mind at the same time that there can be no full normalisation of Greek-Turkish relations without the resolution of the Cyprus issue. I repeat, coordination, cooperation is a daily task. It was in the context of our own actions and the support we had from the Greek government that we had the appointment of the personal envoy of the UN Secretary General who is in Cyprus. We have already met twice in this second phase of her visit. We have another meeting scheduled and hopefully we will create facts. Our own goal is one, it is unique. It is to resume the talks from where they were interrupted in Crans-Montana and we hope to reach that goal."
Referring to the Amalthea initiative, when asked to respond to a journalist's comment that this initiative is not only a humanitarian and strategic asset for the Republic of Cyprus to face the security issues in the Eastern Mediterranean, the President said: "Primarily it was done for humanitarian reasons. We are facing a humanitarian tragedy in the region, so as the Member State of the European Union neighbouring the region, as the country that maintains excellent relations with all the neighbouring states, we took this initiative. We first presented it in Paris in October at the French President's conference. We have worked very hard, we have worked methodically and we are very pleased that it has started to be implemented. Beyond that, it sends another message, because it is through actions and not through statements that you have to prove that you can. The Republic of Cyprus is not just the Cyprus problem, it is not just a problem. The Republic of Cyprus, yes, can also be the solution to many problems in the region. A region that, as we know very well, is of particular geostrategic importance."
Asked to send a message that unites Cyprus and other regions of Hellenism, on the occasion of the sacrifice of Evagoras Pallikaridis, the President of the Republic concluded by noting: "A day of remembrance for Evagoras Pallikaridis. The hero of the national liberation struggle, the youngest to be hanged in the 1955-59 struggle, the most sacred struggle of the Republic of Cyprus, the struggle of EOKA. But what I want to say is that if we really want to honour the memory of Evagoras and all the other heroes of Cyprus, we must prove it through our daily actions, through our daily way of life and especially we who are temporarily in positions of power, through concrete actions that lead in this case to the end of the occupation, to liberation, to the reunification of our homeland."
(NYAN/EP/MS)
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