Any improvement in Greek-Turkish relations will also help in resolving the Cyprus issue, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides has said, speaking after the inaugural Greece-Cyprus High-Level Cooperation Council on Friday.
Standing alongside Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens, Christodoulides sent a clear message to Ankara, saying that the prospects of a closer relationship between Turkey and the EU, which both Cyprus and Greece desire, “depends on progress in Greek-Turkish issues and the Cyprus problem.”
He expressed satisfaction with the results of the cooperation council and the decisions that were made, noting that it was now important to monitor their implementation.
He described relations between Greece and Cyprus as excellent and their cooperation as exceptional but that there was always room for further improvement.
Examples of successful collaboration were the 112 emergency number and digital reforms, he said, adding that intergovernmental cooperation would help bring about better coordination across the entire spectrum of governmental work, not just in defence and foreign policy.
He also thanked Mitsotakis for Greece’s willingness to contribute to a Cypriot plan to provide sea corridor for aid to Gaza.
Mitsotakis said the meeting with the Cyprus delegation confirmed Aristotle’s saying that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
The meeting strengthened the already inseparable bonds between the two countries, enhancing the roles of both Greece and Cyprus as pillars of security in the turbulent eastern Mediterranean region, he said.
“This companionship is also reflected in the joint communique about the Cyprus issue, which is a national priority,” Mitsotakis said, emphasising the need for a resumption of talks within the framework of the United Nations.
“The position calling for two states is completely unacceptable. We look forward to the immediate appointment of a new UN envoy,” the premier underlined, adding that Greece will continue to support the efforts to stop violates of UN Security Council resolutions on Cyprus.
He also noted that the European Union must have a role in the negotiations, in accordance with the conclusions of the European Council on June 30.
Referring to developments in the Middle East, Mitsotakis said that both he and Christodoulides had raised strong concerns about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza during the conference in Paris.
“Greece and Cyprus support Israel’s right to defend itself in accordance with international law and humanitarian law. We distinguish between the terrorist organisation Hamas and the Palestinian people and its leadership. Athens and Nicosia are in favour of the immediate release of all hostages without terms. Our priority is to assist with humanitarian pauses and through corridors of assistance to help the civilians in Gaza,” the premier said.
He also congratulated Cyprus’ president for an initiative to set up sea corridors to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, saying this had been “very carefully studied” and that the Greek government intends to actively participate so long as several technical difficulties are resolved.
Source : Ekathimerini