The Greek government fully supports the efforts of the President of the Republic in the Cyprus problem for greater EU involvement, Greek Deputy Defence Minister Nikolaos Hardalias said on Wednesday, following his meeting with President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace. According to a statement issued by the Presidency, during the meeting President Christodoulides noted that Cyprus is ready to assist Greece in its efforts to extinguish the fires, a message he also conveyed to the leadership of the country. For his part, Hardalias said, among other things, that Greece always stands by Cyprus, noting that "we are by your side in every situation". In his statements after the meeting, the Greek Deputy Defence Minister said that in light of the visit of the Greek National Defence Minister Nikos Dendias and in view of the meeting between President Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, he discussed various issues with the President of the Republic, adding that the Greek government fully supports the efforts of the President of the Republic in the Cyprus issue to achieve greater EU involvement. "These are solutions that cannot be beyond the resolutions and requirements of the UN Security Council," he added. Asked if there is hope that the momentum for calm in the Aegean would be maintained, Hardalias said that this remains to be seen and added that "in any case we want for calm to prevail, we want any possible dialogue to begin, but always in the logic of the issues that the Prime Minister has raised." Asked to comment on the Turkish President's visit to the occupied territories, Hardalias said that the Greek side is following the developments calmly and soberly, remaining faithful to its positions and views. "We are not deviating even for a moment, not a single step from everything we have set and everything we have been fighting for and standing for all these years," he noted. Regarding the events condemning the dark July anniversaries, Hardalias stressed that "we do not forget. We are here to remember the sacrifice of the fallen and to send the message that we will always fight for the sovereignty of the homeland." Asked about the message he is sending after his meeting with the President of the Republic, the Greek Deputy Defence Minister said that "we continue the excellent cooperation we have on all issues concerning the two countries". 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.
Source: Cyprus News Agency