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“The territory of our country
will not be used for aggressive actions,” the President of the Republic, Mr
Nikos Christodoulides, said tonight in relation to the situation in the
region, noting that our goal and expectation is to stop this situation.” Referring
to Pyla, he stated that there was a reaction from the Turkish side and the
United Nations (UN) has asked for a short pause.
Coming to the unveiling
ceremony of Zodia's fallen and missing, in his statements to journalists,
called to comment on "the new tension in Pyla", the President of
the Republic said, “I hope it will not turn into tension. There have indeed
been problems; there has been a reaction from the Turkish side, from the
Turkish occupying forces. The UN has requested for a short pause and that
everything will be reinstated as we had achieved through the Consensus. We
are monitoring the issue, we are in contact with the UN, and we will make
statements accordingly. However, I can tell you that there has been a request
for a short pause and we were assured that the status quo will be restored.”
Asked whether the Consensus
includes a mechanism to provide a way out of issues that arise, President
Christodoulides noted, “Both on the issue of Pyla and in other areas of the
buffer zone, covering an area of 184 km, there is a conscious effort on the part
of the Turkish occupation forces to challenge the status of the buffer zone.
This is what led to our initiative, because the Consensus reached was our
initiative. What the UN is keenly aware of should be implemented. Anything
else cannot be accepted on the part of the Republic of Cyprus. We have
responded to the request for a short, brief pause, we are monitoring the
issue, and we will return accordingly.”
In response to a journalist's
remark that it is up to the goodwill of the two sides to implement the
Consensus and asked how there can be trust to complete the planning, the
President of the Republic said, "A short pause has been requested. The
UN says that possibly tomorrow work will resume as there was a Consensus. Let
me tell you that the Security Council, in particular the five Permanent
Members of the Security Council, are following the development of the issue
and depending on the progress, we will return.”
Asked whether he will have a
telephone conversation with the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) later today, the
President said he has no scheduled telephone conversation with the UNSG.
In response to a journalist's
remark that the Turkish Cypriot leader said he would talk to the UNSG,
President Christodoulides stated, “I have seen Mr Tatar's statement. I hope
that in this telephone conversation, Mr Tatar, in consultation with Turkey, will
give their approval for the appointment of the envoy, a specific personality
decided by the UNSG. As I mentioned yesterday, both from the US side and the
UN side, I had a meeting with Mr Lacroix last week. The effort continues
despite the Turkish side’s initial position. I hope it will be an issue which
will be discussed.”
Asked if there is any
development on the issue of the sea corridor for humanitarian aid in Gaza,
the President of the Republic mentioned, “I welcome the President of the
Commission’s statement. The European Union (EU) indeed supports this effort.
The process continues at the technical and diplomatic level. I will be in
Paris on Wednesday, it is one of the main proposals to be discussed. I
welcome the substantial support from France for the implementation of this
proposal and depending on developments, we shall see how we proceed.”
Asked about the visit of the US
Secretary of State, Mr Blinken, to Cyprus yesterday, the President of the
Republic said, “The visit was unannounced, it was not planned. It is
important that Mr Blinken conveyed to me the discussions he had with all
interested parties. They recognise the role that – I do not wish to
exaggerate – the Republic of Cyprus (could play), taking into consideration
that it is the EU member state in the region, and what the President of the
Commission said today is important, but also the excellent relations we have
with the neighbouring states. Both the Prime Minister of Israel and the King
of Jordan discussed the proposal of the Republic of Cyprus.”
Asked whether military
facilities will be provided, the President of the Republic noted, “No, no
military facilities, but Mr Blinken expressed his gratitude over the
evacuation and the readiness of the Republic of Cyprus. The territory of our
country will not be used for any aggressive actions. After all, our goal, our
expectation is for this state of affairs to stop.”
Asked whether the scenario of
humanitarian aid being accompanied by naval vessels of a country is being
considered, President Christodoulides said, “Of course, it is one of the many
aspects that has been considered. We have a specific working document which I
shared with the US Secretary of State yesterday, but also with some other
states, with the President of the Commission, with the French President, a
document which is very detailed, step by step. And in this working document,
we certainly also touch on this issue that you have asked.”
(GS/EP)
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