President Nikos Christodoulides on Sunday said that the Republic of Cyprus “is the common home of all its lawful citizens”, including “Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians, and Latins”, as he marked the 43rd anniversary of the Turkish Cypriot authorities’ 1983 declaration of independence.
“For that reason, I send a message of hope and a call for a shared path to our Turkish Cypriot compatriots today. Their future does not lie in occupation and partition, but in a free, united, and European homeland; one without occupying armies or anachronistic guarantees,” he said.
As is customary, he referred to the Turkish Cypriot authorities as “the pseudo-state”, and said that their declaration of independence was conducted “by Turkey” and was “an act condemned from the very outset by the entire international community as unlawful”.
On this front, he made reference to United Nations security council resolutions 541 and 550, the former of which, published in 1983, said that the security council “deplores the declaration of the Turkish Cypriot authorities of the purported secession of part of the Republic of Cyprus”.
The latter, published the following year, said it “reiterates the call upon all states not to recognise the purported state of the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’, set up by secessionist acts, and calls upon them not to facilitate or in any way assist the aforesaid secessionist entity”.
Christodoulides on Sunday said the two resolutions “unequivocally condemned Turkey’s secessionist act, declaring it legally invalid and calling upon all states to withhold recognition of this illegal entity and to refrain from providing it with any form of assistance”.
International community ‘clear, unequivocal’ on Cyprus
He then added that “despite Ankara’s persistent, longstanding efforts to upgrade and legitimise this secessionist entity, as well as its unacceptable demands for a ‘two-state solution’, the international community’s position remains clear and unequivocal – that legality cannot be derived from an illegal act”.
“The Republic of Cyprus, a member state of the United Nations and the European Union, continues to advance, strengthening its national capabilities. Through concrete initiatives and actions, it has emerged as a European pillar of security and stability within the critically important region of the eastern Mediterranean and the broader Middle East,” he said.
At the same time, he added, “and despite Turkey’s provocations and delaying tactics, we are working towards the resumption of substantive negotiations for a resolution to the Cyprus problem”.
He said that these efforts have “full respect for the existing body of negotiated work”, and are “based on the agreed framework and in line with the principles, values, and law of the European Union”.
“Through our persistent and coordinated efforts, we have galvanised international interest and secured the substantive engagement of both the United Nations secretary-general and the European Union,” he said.
He added that this has been exhibited by the appointment of UN and European Commission envoys for the Cyprus problem, and by “firmly linking relations between the EU and Turkey to the efforts for a resolution” on the island.
Greek Cypriot side ‘looking forward’ to Guterres tripartite meeting
“Our major endeavour for the liberation and reunification of our homeland, which remains our highest priority, continues methodically and with clear political will,” he said, before adding that the Greek Cypriot side “looks forward” to a planned tripartite meeting between him, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
There, he said, “we will hope for the announcement of an enlarged meeting”, involving the island’s two sides, its three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and the UN, which, he said “will pave the way for the resumption of substantive negotiations”.
“Condemning once again the illegal declaration of the pseudo-state, I reiterate our unwavering resolve. We shall not cease our struggle, utilising every diplomatic and political means at our disposal, until the day our homeland is liberated and reunified,” he said.
