The illegal secessionist actions of the occupying regime, as a result of the 1974 illegal Turkish invasion and occupation, will never be accepted, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said on Saturday, noting hope for the resumption of talks with the new Turkish Cypriot leadership ‘without terms and conditions.’
In a written statement, President Christodoulides says that ‘today’s sad anniversary of the illegal and entirely unsubstantiated attempt by Turkey and the secessionist forces in the occupied areas to divide Cyprus through the so-called declaration of the pseudo-state is a condemnable act, rejected by the international community and by relevant UN Security Council resolutions.’
Since then, he notes, Turkey has been making unsuccessful efforts to secure diplomatic legitimisation of the illegal entity ‘it created by force and through the unlawful presence of its troops in the occupied areas.’
He stresses that the blatant violation of international law and the illegal secessionist actions of the occupation regime, as a consequence of the unlawful invasion and occupation, will never be accepted.
‘Today’s sad anniversary reminds us of our obligation to overturn the fait accompli of the invasion and occupation and to end the unacceptable status quo, in accordance with UN resolutions and the principles and values of the EU,’ he adds.
‘Since my election as President of the Republic, I have set as key priority – and have been making tireless efforts – to create the conditions for the resumption of talks from where they were interrupted in 2017, for the liberation and reunification of Cyprus,’ President Christodoulides notes.
These efforts, he adds, have led to the appointment of a UN Secretary-General envoy on the Cyprus issue, as well as to two meetings in a broader format on Cyprus, so far. At the EU level, the President said that his efforts led to the appointment of an EU Special Envoy for the Cyprus issue ‘and in the clear position’ expressed by the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council in their letter to the UN Secretary-General supporting the resumption of talks and a solution to the Cyprus issue on the basis of the agreed framework, UN resolutions, and the EU principles and values.
He expressed hope that the recent election of the new leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community, would lead to the resumption of talks, ‘without terms and conditions’, from where they were suspended in the summer of 2017, and that this would lead to a final settlement. ‘I will continue to work tirelessly in this direction,’ President Christodoulides concludes.
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.