President Nikos Christodoulides said once again that he is ready to meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar to discuss the opening of new crossing points.
In press statements during a visit to Paphos district, he said that he is ready to see him even next Monday.
Invited to comment on Tatar’s new statements on the issue, the President said that the government and our side “are fully prepared and have done all the relevant preparatory work”, adding that part of it also concerns the Kokkina area. He described the residents’ request to open this specific point as “absolutely justified” adding that “whenever Tatar is ready, I am ready to meet with him even on Monday, to begin the discussion.”
Replying to a question about the acquisition by the National Guard of modern armaments from the US, as Phileleftheros daily newspaper writes, the President noted that he would rather “not comment on the strengthening of the defensive shield and deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus, in relation to the needs that arise due to the ongoing Turkish occupation and because of our status as an EU member state in a region of particular geostrategic importance.”
He went on to say that “we will do what we must without reporting on it or making any announcements.”
Asked to comment on the election of a Turk as OSCE Secretary General with the consent of Cyprus, President Christodoulides said that the Republic of Cyprus recognises Turkey, is a member state of the EU and the international community.
He noted that despite the efforts of some for many years to abolish the Republic of Cyprus, “not only is the Republic still standing, but it is strengthened daily with deeds and not words.”
Cyprus has been divided since the 1974 illegal Turkish invasion. Numerous UN-backed talks to reunite the island under a federal rood, failed to yield results.
The last round of negotiations took place in 2017 in the Swiss resort of Crans Montana.
Last October the President had a meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York. They decided that a five-part meeting will take place soon, but no date has so far been confirmed. They also discussed the opening of more crossing points.