The President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Nicos Christodoulides, visited the ELDYK camp in Athalassa today in view of the Easter holidays.
Speaking to the soldiers and officers of the camp, the President of the Republic said: "Your presence in Cyprus within the framework of the Zurich-London Agreements for the defence of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus is something that is not only recognised but also highly appreciated by the Republic of Cyprus and the Cypriot people.
I am here today, on Holy Week, to wish all of you, your families, a Happy Resurrection. I know all too well how difficult it is to be away from your family on such days. However, I hope and I am sure that the hospitality in Cyprus is such that it will help these festive days to feel as if you were close to home.
Our effort, always in coordination with the Greek Government, and as the new Government in Cyprus that we have very recently received the popular mandate from the Cypriot people, is to create the conditions to break the deadlock on the Cyprus problem, to restart the talks from where they left off and to achieve the much desired goal of the liberation and reunification of our country.
Under no circumstances do we accept the current state of affairs, the illegal, unacceptable state of affairs. What we are aiming for is a specific planning, a very specific planning - because we believe that only through a more active presence of the EU, a more prominent presence of the EU in this effort, especially in the present phase when the aim is to break the deadlock - can the conditions be created to lead to a mutually acceptable situation.
At the same time, we know the facts very well, we know the difficulties, we hear the statements made by the Turkish side every day. Nevertheless, we are not complacent, we are not approaching the Cyprus problem as a blame game, we are not approaching the Cyprus problem as a communication game. For us it is a matter of survival, a matter of existence and we will do everything possible to achieve what you, with your presence, have been defending since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus: the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus.
I wish all of you and your families a Happy Resurrection and may you always be well."
The President of the Republic was accompanied by the Minister of Defence Mr. Michalis Giorgalla, the Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis and the Deputy Government Spokesperson Mrs. Doxa Komodromou.
(PM/EP/SX)
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