President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades reiterated on Tuesday that he will do his outmost to reach a comprehensive, viable and fair settlement of the Cyprus problem, addressing an event organised by the German Embassy in Nicosia to celebrate the anniversary of the day of German Unity.
The President said that Germany “has become a beacon of inspiration for all of Europe, and especially for us here in Cyprus”.
“In times of crisis like these, where geopolitical uncertainty, war, uprooting, and human migration are just of the few problems facing Europe today, it is important to recall our own experiences, and to draw inspiration from the success story of the reunification of Europe and the founding of the European Union. Germany, a country at the forefront of all these historical developments, is rightly called on today to provide both solidarity and leadership in these trying times” he said.
The President recalled that during his visit to Germany in 2014, he had a chance with Chancellor Merkel to discuss and underline their common vision for Europe and highlight their commitment to closer and stronger bilateral relations between the two countries.
“I believe that Cyprus and Germany, so different and yet so similar, have a lot to share with one another, and even more to jointly offer to our common European family and beyond” he said.
President Anastasiades noted that “Cyprus and its people draw courage and inspiration from German reunification”.
He stressed that he is personally devoted to work tirelessly to reunify the island. “I am genuinely and deeply committed to do my outmost to reach a comprehensive, viable and fair settlement of the Cyprus problem, based on a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, as set out in the relevant Security Council Resolutions, the High Level Agreements and the Joint Declaration of February 2014. A reunited Cyprus with a single international legal personality, a single sovereignty and a single citizenship which will safeguard the principles upon which the European Union is founded, for all Cypriots”.
“I look forward to continue working intensively with my friend Mustafa Akinci to finally reunify our homeland, free from foreign troops, and enable Greek and Turkish Cypriots once again to live together peacefully, as they had done for so many centuries” he noted.
The President stressed that “a reunited Cyprus will hopefully become a model case and an example to emulate and replicate in our region” and that “the reunification of Cyprus will complete the project that started in 1989: the reunification of the whole of Europe”.