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- Ελληνικά
The President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Nicos Christodoulides, addressed the Plenary Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg today, 23 January 2024. After his speech, the President of the Republic took questions.
Asked about the obstacles that have so far prevented the reunification of Cyprus and the prospects for a viable solution, the President of the Republic said: "If I really believed that a solution to the Cyprus problem was not possible, I would not have started this effort. And I am very happy because the United Nations Secretary General, recognizing our readiness to move forward and showing his own commitment to the resolution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of the agreed framework of a bizonal bicommunal federation, because this was one of your questions, has proceeded to appoint Ms. Holguín as a personal envoy, who will visit Cyprus in the coming days to launch a new effort. A solution to the Cyprus problem is possible. The present state of affairs cannot be the solution to the Cyprus problem for either the Greek Cypriots or the Turkish Cypriots. And if the solution of the Cyprus problem depended on the Greek and Turkish Cypriots, the Cyprus problem would have been solved many, many years ago. The resolution of the Cyprus problem and the main reason why it has not been resolved for so many years is Turkey's attitude. It is the attitude of the Turkish side that is preventing the resolution of the Cyprus problem. And in this context we are ready to examine a state of affairs, which through the solution of the Cyprus problem will lead to a mutually beneficial state of affairs for all parties involved, including Turkey itself. A solution to the Cyprus problem is possible if the necessary political will exists. And as someone who was born a few months before the Turkish invasion and grew up in a divided country, I certainly want to pass on to future generations, I want to pass on to my children, to all the children of Cyprus, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, a reunited homeland. Because without a reunited Cyprus, its future is certainly not assured."
Asked to comment on how the international community and in particular the Council of Europe can help to ensure that the rights of the Cypriot people are respected, the President of the Republic said: "The appointment of Mr Fassino as rapporteur on the Famagusta issue is an important development and something that shows the interest of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in the issue of Famagusta. It is very important to ensure that no actions are taken in the Famagusta area that would further complicate the prospect of the resumption of talks and the prospect of a solution to the Cyprus problem. There are specific United Nations resolutions on the issue of Famagusta, and the implementation of these resolutions will be the best proof that we do indeed want a solution to the Cyprus problem."
Asked about the issue of humanitarian aid to the civilians of Gaza through the sea corridor of Cyprus, President Christodoulides said: "The initiative of the Republic of Cyprus has been welcomed by the French government, by the European Union, by many states, by the United States. As I mentioned before, the Republic of Cyprus is the European Union Member State that is adjacent to the region. We are the state that has excellent relations with all the parties involved. We have excellent relations with Israel, with Palestine, with Egypt, with Egypt, with Jordan, with all the countries in the region. And in this context, from the very first moment Cyprus was used to remove population from the region. All those who wanted to leave the region, mainly Europeans, used Cyprus to remove themselves. And secondly, we went ahead with our proposal to create a maritime humanitarian corridor from Larnaca to Gaza, so that humanitarian aid could be transported for the civilian population there. I am glad because this initiative has already started to be implemented and I want to thank the British Government, because with the help of the British Government, humanitarian aid has been transferred from Larnaca, not directly to Gaza, but through Egypt, to the region. We are continuing our consultations with all parties involved, with Israel, with the Palestinians, so that this uninterrupted transfer of humanitarian aid can continue. We are ready at any moment. We have the infrastructure in Cyprus so that we can ensure the security of these goods, of the humanitarian aid that is being transported to Gaza. The role of the Republic of Cyprus and its excellent relations are recognised by all the states in the region and we are ready, I repeat, at any moment to send more humanitarian aid to the region. And I am happy and I want to mention it, I also welcome the attitude of the French government, the organization of a session in Paris where this aspect was specifically discussed and it was during this session that the Cypriot proposal was presented in detail for the first time."
To another question regarding the issue of Russian investments in Cyprus, the President said: "The Republic of Cyprus, as I mentioned in my speech, was on the right side of history. The Republic of Cyprus from the very first moment condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine for many reasons, including the fact that we are victims of the same behaviour by Turkey. Any invasion, occupation whether from Russia or from Turkey is no different. It is an occupation, it is an illegal invasion and from the very first moment we were on the right side of history. From the very first moment we have been applying all the sanctions of the European Union. And it is important because you mentioned an issue that is of concern to the European Union itself. See which countries are not implementing the European Union sanctions, making the sanctions ineffective. And I'm talking about countries that some people in Ukraine may see as an ally. I invite you to look at which countries, I repeat, do not apply the sanctions. The European Union itself has a report on which countries are not applying European Union sanctions. You mentioned the issue of Russian investments in Cyprus. Yes, I stand here boldly against you and tell you that mistakes have been made. But all that is in the past in Cyprus. In Cyprus there are neither golden passports nor golden visas. I refer you to the relevant reports, both Moneyval's and other reports that have been done on Cyprus. Mistakes were made in the past and the first to pay for these mistakes was the Republic of Cyprus itself, it was the Cypriot people themselves."
Asked to refer to the measures taken by Cyprus to ensure the effective implementation of the binding decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, President Christodoulides said: "Thank you for the question because you have touched on an issue that I think touches on the importance of the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe institutions. The non-implementation of the decisions of the Court of Justice. I will speak first about Cyprus, because there is no other option for us than full compliance with the decisions of the Court. There is absolutely no excuse for not implementing the Court's decisions. At the same time, however, we have to admit that a significant number of countries do not apply these judgments, either in part or in their entirety, and this affects the effectiveness of the Court itself. This is something that I believe should, without interfering in any way in your own affairs, be of concern to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe itself. What is the reaction of either the Parliamentary Assembly or the Council of Europe to those states that do not apply the Court's rulings? Because you realise that if this situation continues, the effectiveness of the Court will be called into question and, secondly, other states will be encouraged not to apply the decisions."
Asked about the use of the Cape base for spying purposes by the British for attacks on Gaza and Yemen, the President of the Republic clarified: "The Republic of Cyprus is not involved in any operation of a military nature in the region under any circumstances. As regards the use of the British Bases in Cyprus, as you mentioned, we are in communication with the British Government within the framework set out in the Treaty of Establishment of the Republic of Cyprus and the accompanying documents to that Treaty. For us, the security of Cyprus, the people of Cyprus, as well as our relations with the states in the region are the highest priority of our Government and under no circumstances are we, I want to repeat, as the Republic of Cyprus involved in any operation of a military nature. As I had the opportunity to mention earlier, we are involved in operations of a humanitarian nature, to help the populations of the region and not in operations of a military nature.
Asked about the migration issue, President Christodoulides said: "Indeed Cyprus is a frontline country, a country facing serious challenges. Since at this moment we are talking about six percent of the population of Cyprus are migrants. You asked me what the Council of Europe can do. The most important thing that the Council of Europe can do, that the international community must do, that we must all work together, is to tackle the root causes of migration, what we call the root causes of migration. Because if we do not address the reasons why all these people are leaving their countries, whatever management we do in Europe, this phenomenon will continue. So we have to focus our efforts, if we want to tackle the problem of migration, on tackling the phenomena that lead these people to leave their countries."
Responding to another question, the President said: "With regard to Armenia's proposal, as the Republic of Cyprus we support it and we support any proposal that promotes cooperation between states and I think it is in the right direction."
In response to a question on human rights, the President said: "I referred to human rights for all Cypriots. For us there are no different human rights for Greek Cypriots, different for Turkish Cypriots, different for Armenians and Latins."
Asked about Turkish Cypriots, the President said, among other things: "Any violation of the human rights of Turkish Cypriots, Greek Cypriots or what you mentioned about isolation, do you know where it is due to? The isolation of Turkish Cypriots is due to one thing and one thing only. It is due to the Turkish invasion and the ongoing occupation. This deprives Turkish Cypriots of their rights. Because Turkish Cypriots, and you know this very well, since the day of the accession of the Republic of Cyprus, to give an example, have had passports of the Republic of Cyprus as citizens of the Republic of Cyprus. With the approval of the Republic of Cyprus, there is the European Union's Financial Regulation, where our Turkish Cypriot compatriots, with the approval of the Republic of Cyprus, receive significant financial support. There is the Green Line Regulation again for our Turkish Cypriot compatriots. I would like to take this opportunity to mention that in the next few days I will also announce unilateral measures for our Turkish Cypriot compatriots. Addressing the Turkish Cypriots, the President said: "I would like to urge you to see that your future as Turkish Cypriots and our future as Greek Cypriots and the future of Cyprus without reunification of our homeland will not be positive. That is why I call on you once again and I am sure of the will of the majority of Turkish Cypriots, of the need for you to send the right messages to Turkey."
Finally, asked about the progress achieved in Cyprus regarding the rights of LGBTI people, the President of the Republic said: "This is an issue on which significant steps have been taken in recent years in our country to guarantee the rights of LGBTI people. The steps taken, and here the Council of Europe plays an important role, have been taken on the basis of the principles of the Council of Europe and the European Union and a strong framework has been established to combat any discrimination or violence against LGBTI people. Changes have been made to the Cyprus Criminal Code in 2015, in 2017 in such a way that homophobic transphobic hate speech is now a criminal offence, while at the same time any act of violence carries serious penalties. We have also moved forward with the institutionalisation of civil partnership, the civil partnership pact since 2015. In 2021 we moved forward with the preparation of a National Human Rights Strategy, which is fully aligned with the relevant European strategy. We moved forward in 2022 and have submitted to Parliament a bill on legal recognition of gender identity in 2023. In May, this was passed in a proposed law to criminalise the application of techniques aimed at changing and suppressing sexual orientation. We have established a special department in the Police to deal with such issues and I am glad because in recent years, and with your help, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe in general and the European Union, important steps have been taken in Cyprus."
(EL/NG/MS/Th)
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