Depending on the results of the meetings with the President of the European Commission and the Prime Minister of Lebanon in the coming days, decisions will be implemented, which may not be liked, but have the sole aim of safeguarding the interests of the Republic of Cyprus and the security of its citizens, President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday afternoon on the ongoing migratory flows, addressing an event for the inauguration of the “Mediterranean” Artists’ Park in the Turkish Cypriot Skala neighborhood and the restoration/improvement of facades on Piale Pasha Street in Larnaca.
Asked initially about Ersin Tatar’s meeting tonight with the UN Secretary General in New York, following the latest statements by the Turkish Cypriot leader, the President of the Republic said that Tatar’s statements do not help create the desired climate, adding that he will not follow his tactics and reiterated that the talks will not resume through public statements.
“I believe in the Secretary-General, I know
what he has in mind, let us wait to see the results of this meeting and then we will comment. What I can express is the wish, the hope that something positive will emerge towards the resumption of talks,” he noted.
Asked to comment on the fact that the migratory flows towards Cyprus continue for the sixth consecutive day and to specify when measures could be activated which, according to his previous statements, are on the table and may not be liked, President Christodoulides said that he is well aware of Lebanon’s positions, the positions of some EU member states in relation to the situation in Syria, but also of Cyprus’ international obligations, but he is obliged to safeguard the interests and security of Cyprus.
“I have two crucial meetings, on Sunday with the President of the Commission, we are in telephone contact, also at a technical level, and on Monday I will be in Lebanon. Subsequently, and depending on the results, decisions will be taken. We know the actions we will take, decisions will be imple
mented depending on the outcome, decisions that may not be liked, but which have the sole aim of safeguarding the interests of the RoC and the security of its citizens,” the President stressed, clarifying that the decisions may not be liked both at home and abroad.
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. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
Source: Cyprus News Agency