We do not come to terms with the Turkish occupation of Cyprus, said Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides, on Sunday speaking at a memorial service of Michalis Olympios, an EOKA fighter, who died in 1969. The memorial service was held on Sunday, at the church of Agios Epiphanios, in Lymbia village, in Nicosia district.
"Having as a guide the struggles of the past and the lessons derived from them, we emphatically declare that we do not come to terms with the occupation," President Christodoulides stressed, adding that "our concern is transformed into a driving force that leads us to a clear will for continuation of the effort to reunify our country."
In addition, the President noted that "the unacceptable status quo is, among other things, a permanent source of disruption and insecurity and in no way should we be complacent."
He pointed out that "this twisted situation we are experiencing should finally end." For us, he continued, "there is no other choice, for us there is no other path, than to end the occupation, to reunite our country and finally bring peace to our land."
"It is precisely in this context that we consider the leading and active involvement of the EU, both in breaking the current deadlock and during the negotiations to be imperative, and it is in this direction that we have been working since the first day this government assumed its duties," he emphasised.
In addition, he welcomed the fact that the EU sees the approach of the Government working to break the deadlock in the Cyprus issue with more active involvement of the EU, while he pointed out the recent developments that occurred during his visit to Germany as well as his upcoming actions at European level.
Speaking to journalists after the memorial service, the President was asked whether the issue of more active involvement of the EU in the Cyprus issue is progressing.
"We are working to break the deadlock, and we welcome the fact that they see our approach that the EU can play a decisive role in this direction: Resumption of talks, always within the framework of the United Nations. The EU is coming to support the efforts of the UN," he said.
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