Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides speaking at the UN General Assembly said he is ready to sit at the table for talks on the Cyprus issue and appealed to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to exert his pressure on the Turkish Cypriot side to do the same.
“I am committed and I am ready, to sit at the negotiating table today. Not tomorrow. Today,” he said. “Mr. Erdogan – history will judge us,” he added.
Speaking two months after Cyprus marked the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion, Christodoulides noted that Turkey occupies a sovereign European state. It violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of an EU member state.
“50 years, half a century, of continuing Turkish occupation of approximately 37 percent of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. Of continuous violation of the UN Charter, international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law.”
Christodoulides: Cyprus still hopes for a settlement
He told the audience of world leaders that Cypriots still hope that a solution will be found. “I am often asked if I am optimistic about peace in Cyprus after 50 years. Let me recall the words of Jean Monnet, one of the inspired founders of the European Union, when he proclaimed that – “This is not a time for blind optimism or paralyzing pessimism. Now is the time to be determined”.
“And so, the answer is that I am determined to work tirelessly and bravely for peace in Cyprus. To reunify my country and its people, in a modern, viable European state, with no troops of occupation, no foreign guarantees.”
Christodoulides expressed his determination to continue exerting all efforts to resume negotiations for a viable solution to the Cyprus issue, within the only framework: the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions that call for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as defined by the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, and fully in line with EU law, values and principles.
“On this podium yesterday we heard Mr. Erdogan call for the disregard of the UN Charter, the violation of UN Security Council Resolutions, and international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. And my response, the response of the international community is clear: Illegality stemming from invasion, aggression and use of force CANNOT be recognized,” the Cypriot President emphasized.
“International law is not a la carte. Its interpretation does not change depending on who is the violator. It applies equally to all contexts, to all countries. It applies to Turkey, a country that 50 years ago, used force in violation of the UN Charter, invaded a sovereign state, and is an occupation force in Cyprus,” he added.
Referring to Erdogan’s speech at the UN where he characterized the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 as a “peace operation, Christodoulides said: “It is an affront to this plenary to name an invasion a peace operation. Revisionism cannot change reality. Not now, not ever.”
President Christodoulides on Cyprus and the Gaza War
The President of Cyprus also referred to the war in Gaza and noted the humanitarian actions that the country took to help civilians.
“We acted on our moral responsibility to help the innocent civilians of Gaza – men, women, children – suffering abhorrent [] conditions no human should ever endure.”
He stresses that Cyprus has acted, time and time again, as a regional evacuation hub at times of crisis. A safe bridge, a safe haven for civilians.
“The situation in Gaza is a desperate cry for us to act decisively,” he told world leaders.
“My country has emphatically stressed, the need for the respect of international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians, the rapid, safe and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. For the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
This war must end now. The suffering must stop now.”
