President Nikos Christodoulides extended his gratitude for China's steadfast support to the efforts to resume negotiations to reach a comprehensive settlement in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions, adding that taking also into consideration China's position as a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, Beijing's support is of very critical importance. Delivering a speech Thursday at the reception of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the Proclamation of the People's Republic of China, the President underlined once more that finding a just, viable and lasting solution to the Cyprus problem constitutes his highest priority. 'As I have always supported, the reunification of Cyprus, the reunification of its people and its institution will be beneficial not only for the security and prosperity of the island, but also for the broader', he said. The President said that our shared respect to international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states is very well known and, in that context, the Republic of Cyprus' support to the One China policy is unwavering. He referred to Cyprus' strong support of the advancement of EU-China relations. 'EU and China are important partners and we both have a common interest in pursuing constructive, stable, and mutually beneficial relations, especially through the EU-China high-level political dialogue, with the aim of fostering mutual understanding and address the various challenges in the global stage, such as the climate change, health pandemics and the world economy', he noted. He also noted that despite the geographical distance, the Republic of Cyprus and the People's Republic of China have forged a profound friendship and collaboration in a multitude of areas, that has stood the test of time and added that the bilateral cooperation is based on mutual trust, respect and understanding. 'Acknowledging the positive progress of bilateral cooperation in the political, social and economic areas, we have also agreed to strengthen cooperation in the United Nations and other international organizations always based on our shared commitment to multilateralism and international law. Cyprus and China, two countries with rich histories and ancient civilizations, are determined to further enhance the meaningful cooperation in an extensive array of fields. including education, research, innovation, tourism, health, sports and youth', the Cyprus President noted. Chinese Ambassador Liu Yantao said that China and Cyprus have always been important to each other and they both support the One China, One Cyprus principle. He said that his country supports the Cyprus government as it actively works for the settlement under the framework of the UNSC resolutions. He noted that the process for the settlement of the Cyprus problem should only move forward, it should never move backward. The Ambassador referred to his country's stance immediately after the Pyla incident and the condemnation of the violence and also made reference to the statement issued by the UN. He praised Cyprus' support for the issue of Taiwan and human rights and also referred to the close cooperation in a number of areas. He also said that the Cyprus-China relationship should be further enhanced and also expressed appreciation on Cyprus' role in promoting China-EU relations. He also said that as the world today changes and the challenges are multiple, China has an open approach, it is working in order to build an open, peaceful and prosperous world and is also committed to global development, growth, justice, peace and inclusiveness. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. On Friday August 18, 2023 Turkish Cypriots punched and kicked a group of international peacekeepers who obstructed crews illegally working on a road that would encroach on a U.N. controlled buffer zone. The attack happened as peacekeepers stood in the way of work crews building a road to connect the Turkish occupied village of Arsos with the mixed Greek Cypriot-Turkish Cypriot village of Pyla, inside the buffer zone.
Source: Cyprus News Agency