Ambassador of Ukraine to Cyprus, Sergii Nizhynskyi, has stressed that his country will never recognise the pseudostate in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus and condemned the Turkish occupation of the island.
The Ambassador was speaking on Tuesday, at the House of Representatives, in Nicosia, during a meeting of the Ukraine-Cyprus Friendship Group in the Ukrainian Parliament with members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Meanwhile, speaking at the meeting, head of the delegation of the Ukraine-Cyprus Friendship Group in the Ukrainian Parliament Oleksandr Tkachenko informed participants about the latest developments in Ukraine, stressing that the whole country seeks peace. He noted that on the other hand the conditions imposed by Russia are so harsh that it is very difficult to compromise and find common ground.
He expressed hope that the consultations currently underway will yield a final result and some middle ground will be found.
The Ukrainian MP said that there are quite a few important points in the peace plan, which are going to be the subject of discussion at the upcoming meeting between the Presidents of Ukraine and the US. He added that there are especially some issues concerning the number of Ukrainian military forces and the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk region.
Tkachenko said that Cyprus is among the many European countries that have expressed their support for Ukraine and called on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to exert its influence in Parliament and help Ukraine in recognising the famine that took place in Ukraine in 1932-33, as genocide of the Ukrainian people.
He said that while recognising the famine as a lever of political pressure, it is in reality the recognition of the historical truth about everything that happened on the territory of Ukraine.
Furthermore, he said that today over 30 countries have already recognised it as genocide of the Ukrainian people and if it is recognised by the Parliament of Cyprus, it will further strengthen bilateral relations, Christian values and will be a contribution to international security.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
An illegal breakaway entity declared independence unilaterally, on November 15, 1983, in the areas under Turkish occupation, an action condemned by the UN Security Council and the international community as legally null and void.
The illegal declaration followed the partition of the island after the Turkish military invaded Cyprus in 1974, occupying one third of its territory ever since. Only Turkey recognises the pseudostate.