Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides reaffirmed the excellent state of bilateral relations between Cyprus and Greece, during his statements following the meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias, in Athens.
Christodoulides said that Cyprus is ready to restart negotiations over the internal aspects of Cyprus Issue on condition that Turkey will stop its provocations in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). He also underlined the need for an adequate preparation of an international conference on Cyprus Issue, with the participation of the five members of UN’s Security Council.
Regarding Turkey’s stance on the Cyprus Issue, N. Christodoulidis said that Turkey’s provocative actions are not helping Turkish Cypriot interests. Nevertheless, he said, the Republic of Cyprus will respond to these provocations with composure, sense and determination, staying orientated to the goal of solution to the Cyprus Problem.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. The latest round of UN-peace talks in the summer of 2017 ended without an agreement. Talks held under the auspices of the UN aim at reunifying Cyprus under a federal roof.
On February 9, 2018, the “SAIPEM 12000” vessel, commissioned for drilling operations by Italian energy company ENI, was halted by Turkish warships en route to block 3 of Cyprus’ EEZ. On February 23, SAIPEM attempted again to reach its destination, but was once again threatened by Turkish warships and was forced to abandon the area.
N. Christodoulides evaluated as a positive development the fact that Turkey’s provocativeness will be discussed during the next European Council and that its stance will be examined as for the upcoming Summit in Varna.
Answering to a CNA’s question, Cypriot Foreign Minister said that the non renewal of Turkish NAVTEX is not a sufficient step and declared that Turkey’s official stance is constantly under evaluation. “We support Turkey’s European prospect, but this is not unconditional. Turkey’s European prospect depends exclusively on its own stance”, he added.
For his part, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias noted that Turkey’s stance constitutes a major regional problem. He called on Turkey to stop the violations of international law and its provocations towards Cyprus and Greece.
Nikos Kotzias said that Greece and Cyprus have managed to put the issues of safety and guarantees at the center of negotiations over Cyprus Issue. He also estimated that, in view of recent turkish provocations in Cyprus’ EEZ, if Turkey was a legitimized guarantor power in Cyprus, things would have been worse.
Regarding the two Greek officers held in Turkey, Nikos Kotzias called on Ankara not to convert a routine issue into a major political and legal problem.