Current ‘unacceptable’ situation cannot be the solution to the Cyprus issue, FM says

The current unacceptable situation cannot be the solution to the Cyprus problem, Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides said on Friday after a meeting in Athens with his Greek counterpart.

Christodoulides was in Athens to coordinate with Nicos Dendias ahead of the discussion on the full range of EU-Turkish relations at the Council of foreign ministers on July 13.

He said after the meeting he discussed with Dendias “the worrying developments in the wider eastern Mediterranean region due to Turkey’s revisionist behaviour”

“Greece and Cyprus have long warned the international community, on the occasion  of Turkey’s illegal actions in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), that appeasing Turkey would lead to an unprecedented escalation of its behaviour and this is exactly what we are experiencing today in Cyprus, Greece, Syria, Libya, Iraq and beyond,” Christodoulides said.

He said that given the developments, this was not the time for public statements. “The moments are critical. We all need seriousness, consistency, determination and continuation of the coordinated and targeted actions that Greece and Cyprus undertake at all levels,” he said.

He added that along with Dendias, they discussed developments and coordinated further joint actions.

“I believe that the discussion on Turkey in the Council of Foreign Ministers on July 13 will not be the end but the beginning of substantive discussions at European level on the future of Euro-Turkish relations and Turkey’s overall behaviour in the eastern Mediterranean, “ he said.

The two men also discussed the Cyprus issue. “Our readiness to resume substantive and promising talks is a given. Under no circumstances can the current unacceptable situation in Cyprus be the solution to the Cyprus problem,” Christodoulides said.

The Cypriot minister said that the two countries will continue consultations and that in this context, President Nicos Anastasiades, will visit Athens on July 14, the day after the Council of Foreign Ministers, for consultations with the Greek Prime Minister.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.