President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides has expressed hope that the foundations will be laid for the resumption of the Cyprus negotiations, stressing that he is working intensively, in cooperation with Greece, to achieve this goal.
Addressing Sunday an event in New York organized by the Federation of Cypriot American Organizations, President Christodoulides said he expects that during the week of the United Nations General Assembly there will be specific developments regarding the Cyprus issue.
“With perseverance and with unwavering determination we have succeeded during these 18 months, with your help, to rekindle international interest in the Cyprus issue”, he told delegates.
“I really hope that this week in New York the foundations will be laid for the resumption of negotiations as soon as possible,” he stressed.
“I truly hope so. This is our goal, through my contacts and the contacts of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the end of the week of the UN General Assembly to have concrete announc
ements for the resumption of negotiations or at least a joint meeting that can lead to a resumption of negotiations,” the President said.
Furthermore, he noted the importance of supporting the Cypriot diaspora, noting that especially the overseas in the United States, are very important for Cyprus at the political level and stressed that their contribution remains decisive in maintaining international pressure on Turkey and finding a solution to the Cyprus problem.
He also expressed the desire for the diaspora meetings to become an institution saying he considers them important in maintaining the close relationship between Cyprus and Cypriots living abroad.
Referring to the 50 years since the Turkish invasion against Cyprus, he said that “despite the difficulties, the pain, the problems, we did not abandon the effort to reunify our country” and praised the support of the diaspora.
“Fifty years after the barbaric Turkish invasion, our country remains divided, continues to be under occupation, with thousand
s of displaced, missing, enclaved and with occupied troops. This is the reality in a country, an EU member state,” he said.
The President also referred to the strengthening of relations with the USA saying that since he assumed office, the government substantially strengthened bilateral relations with the United States by signing the Strategic Partnership Framework, saying that the United States has only signed this framework with less than 40 countries, most of which are NATO member states.
In addition, he spoke about Cyprus’ role in the European Union saying that it has been substantially strengthened, highlighting with actions the importance of Cyprus for the European Union, the other Member States and the challenges they face.
He recalled that when the crisis in the region started last October, Cyprus, in addition to the initial announcement it made about the initiative for a maritime humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza, it was used as a transit hub by EU countries and third countries.
“We were ready fr
om day one with a specific plan and we met our specific obligation,” he noted.
He pledged that even now, with the situation in the region being difficult, Cyprus is ready to respond.
Moreover, the President underlined the importance of Cyprus’ international position and its economic development as factors that strengthen efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue.
He also referred to specific initiatives that have been undertaken, such as the creation of the maritime corridor for humanitarian aid in Gaza, as an example of a successful initiative by Cyprus, which shows that Cyprus can play an important role on the world stage.
The initiative of the humanitarian corridor, he said, although it was initially questioned by some, proved that the Republic of Cyprus can play a wider role in the international arena.
He referred to the recognition of Cyprus’ role in the region, the continuous strengthening of relations with strong actors of the international system such as the United States and France, the strong, resili
ent and competitive economy of Cyprus as well as the successful addressing of immigration.
“We have the political will, we take initiatives, we are not afraid of the dialogue at all. We give importance to the factors I mentioned above and use them to achieve the solution of the Cyprus problem. There is no other way for a small country, in an area of particular geostrategic importance, under occupation, to be able to cope with today’s challenges”, the President of the Republic underlined.
The event was also addressed by President of the Federation of Cypriot American Organisations, Kyriakos Papastylianou, President of PSEKA (International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus) Philip Christopher, American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) President Savvas Tsivikos, and President of the Cyprus – US Chamber of Commerce Maria Pappas.
Earlier on, the President held a meeting with the leaderships of the diaspora informing them about the latest developments of the Cyprus issue.
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