During his visit to Cyprus, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made a speech refuting Turkish President Erdogan’s contentious claims over the Cyprus divide on the 50th anniversary of the invasion.
The Greek prime minister emphasized his country’s support for Cyprus during a speech he made at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, stating that he – and by representation Greece – were not there to mourn and honor, but also to fight by putting forward the Cyprus issue as it is: an unacceptable example of an invasion that today has imitators, as in Ukraine.
Mitsotakis stressed that no battle is lost unless it is first fought, and said that sooner or later, Turkey has to realize that its ambitions cannot be identified with black anniversaries.
Mitsotakis’ speech in Cyprus
“We have unshakable faith within us. We meet the 50 years of invasion and occupation of Cyprus at a time that calls us to weigh the steps we have taken forward so that the lessons of yesterday become the commandments of today,” Mitsotakis said.
Adding, “In the half century that passed this island at the edge of the Mediterranean became a modern republic and stood up against the disastrous consequences of Attila. With Athens on its side, Nicosia kept alive the request for the reunification of the country.”
“Cyprus, with the help of Greece, became a member of the EU with its economy growing continuously. The wound however is still bleeding and the north is still under occupation. The land of Aphrodite remains divided and there are still missing people and refugees.”
He continued “Our pursuit is of a Cypriot republic with one sovereignty, one international personality, and one citizenship in a bi-zonal bi-communal federation in a single state where all citizens will be both Cypriots and Europeans without an occupation army.”
And added “Just as the UN resolutions provide, but also the respect for the European acquis. The two national cities are more united than ever, something that has not always been a fixed fact. Our experience steeled the cooperation. We reject the bankrupt dogma that stillness produces motion. Nor are we resigned to the fatalistic realization that each new year will be the same or worse than the last. The Greek-Turkish approach also helps the Cypriot and we systematically highlight our national issue. I am honest with Ankara: the fact that we are discussing you also means that we agree.”
Mitsotakis went on to describe the Atilla invasion: “50 years ago the beautiful waters of Kyrenia were desecrated and the golden green sheet of the Mediterranean was trampled with thousands of dead and missing and hundreds of thousands of Greek Cypriots excluded from their own place and Famagusta still breathing heavily. But we are not here only to mourn and honor but also to fight and be justified by promoting the Cypriot issue as something that offends international legitimacy.”
