We know what it means to have your homeland divided, we know how difficult it is, President of Moldova Maia Sandu said here on Friday.
President Christodoulides and Moldovan President Maia Sandu visited Friday the Green Line in Nicosia, which divides the capital in two.
Sandu, who is paying Cyprus an official visit, was received earlier at the Presidential Palace by President Christodoulides.
In press statements from old Nicosia and asked about Moldova’s support for the Cyprus issue, the President said that he thanked his counterpart for her long-standing stance.
Moldova, he said, supports the territorial integrity, independence of the Republic of Cyprus and the solution within the framework of UN resolutions and the EU.
He referred to Moldova’s great effort to join the EU which is ”a safety net for the future of the country”.
Sandu was asked about the Cyprus issue and said that Moldova is facing a similar problem and “we know what it means to have your homeland divided, we know how difficult it is.”
She added that international law must be respected and we must solve problems peacefully. Sandu said that what is happening is very sad adding that ”people should live together in their country”.
In a press release, Nicosia Municipality said that during her visit Sandu signed the Visitors Book in which she wrote, among other things: “I am grateful for the warm welcome in Nicosia, a city which constitutes a symbol of both history and hope. May our cooperation is strengthened as we work together for peace, dialogue and a common European future.”
After 1974 and the illegal Turkish invasion, the island is divided by a UN-controlled buffer zone.
The buffer zone – also called ‘the Green Line’ – extends approximately 180 km across the island. In some parts of old Nicosia it is only a few meters wide, while in other areas it is a few kilometres wide.