Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides has expressed hope that 2014 will mark Cyprus’ reunification and rid the country of Turkish occupation troops.
Speaking during a gathering at the ministry on Tuesday to mark the new year, Kasoulides pointed out that to achieve this goal the Turkish side should exhibit the necessary will for a lasting, viable and functional solution that will reunite the country, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
Kasoulides referred to the challenges Cyprus will have to face in the new year, both at a national and international level, stressing that with determination and persistence, “we will achieve the objectives of our foreign policy”.
He said that Cyprus’ stabilizing role in the sensitive region of the Middle East is widely acknowledged and reiterated that the regional dimension of Nicosia’s foreign policy adds to the value of the Common Foreign and Security Policy for the European Union.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied the island’s northern third. Repeated UN efforts to reunite the country have so far failed. A renewed attempt is currently underway.
