I am very pleased to welcome you today
to the Presidential Palace.
As you are aware, during my visit to
London last week, the Republic of Cyprus signed with the United Kingdom a
historic agreement regarding the Bases. After more than fifty-three years since
the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus an overall adjustment for the
development of non-military areas within the British Bases is achieved.
The agreement overturns facts created by
the Agreements of 1960 for Cyprus and the residents and owners of property in
the Bases. With the agreement the rights of the residents of the Bases are
restored and the needs of the communities and the local population vis-à-vis
their land and properties are now dealt with. It also streamlines the wider
situation within the Bases, as this has evolved over the last fifty years,
acknowledging that a status quo which had been created under very different
circumstances and for different needs and figures, could no longer operate
efficiently to the interest of the residents but also the British government.
In reality this agreement disentangles
more than three quarters of the land and includes the total of the private
immovable property in the Bases. At the same it significantly reinforces the
role and sway of the Republic of Cyprus in the development of the particular
land.
The signing of the agreement was made
possible following ten meetings of the negotiating teams of Cyprus and the
United Kingdom, which began on 2 October 2013 and were recently concluded after
hard and persistent work. I would like to thank and warmly congratulate
Ambassador Tasos Tzionis, who led the negotiation team, as well as all its
members: the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social
Insurance, Andreas Assiotis, the Senior Counsel of the Republic, Constantinos
Lykourgos, the Director of the Cyprus Question Division at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Andreas Hadjichrysanthou, the Counsel of the Republic, Nikolas
Kyriacou, and the First Secretary of the Cyprus Question Division at the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, Solon Savva.
I would also like to express my
gratitude to the High Commissioner of the United Kingdom in Cyprus, Mr Matthew
Kidd, and his negotiating team for the constructive and cooperative spirit they
have shown in order for this significant agreement to be finalized and signed.
The benefits of the agreement are
numerous and specific. Under the agreement:
1.
The
largest part of the Bases territory is integrated into planning zones, thus
allowing their development. More specifically, 78 % of the territory of the
British Bases, stretching about 200 out of a total of about 255 square
kilometers, which includes the total private properties, falls under the agreed
adjustment. Essentially the agreement reverses the policy applied in the
British Bases up until today: Instead of the overall prohibition in development
with some exceptions, now the overall development is allowed with some
exceptions. And these exceptions are explicitly defined. Under the agreement
all property within the Bases, private and not, will be incorporated into
planning zones with the exception of properties used for the military needs of
the British.
2.
It
ensures equal rights to residents and property owners in the British Bases in
relation to the rest of the population of the Republic of Cyprus to develop
their property.
3.
Cypriot
and EU citizens and third country nationals are entitled to acquire real estate
in the area of the British Bases, and this implies the unrestricted
exploitation of property by the current owners.
4.
The
urban planning and economic development in the Bases is ensured, with the
Republic of Cyprus being responsible for the zoning and other development in
accordance with the practice and policy of the Republic of Cyprus.
Additionally, the agreement normalizes the lives of residents and landowners in
the Bases, who will now have to apply for development issues to the competent
authorities of the Republic of Cyprus as the rest of the population, and they
will know clearly and without surprises or obstacles in what way their
properties can be developed on the basis of urban zones and policies to be
determined by the Government.
5.
With
the reinforced concession of judicial and administrative powers to the Republic
of Cyprus, equality and fairness are ensured since our Courts will have jurisdiction
in civil and criminal cases and in this way they will be able to execute
decisions and decrees within the Bases.
6.
It
reinforces and confirms the longstanding position of our side that the British
Bases in Cyprus can only be used for military purposes.
7.
With
the reinforced concession of administrative powers to the Republic of Cyprus,
broader vital national interests are safeguarded.
From the agreement, 17 communities and
three Municipalities will benefit.
Specifically, it is the Municipalities of Deryneia, Kato Polemidia and
Ipsonas and the communities of Akrotiri, Asomatos, Avdimou, Erimi, Episkopi,
Kolossi, Trachoni, Sotira and Paramali in the Limassol district, Avgorou,
Acheritou, Achna and Frenaros in the Famagusta district and Xylotimpou, Xylofagou,
Ormidia and Pyla in the Larnaka district.
In total, the agreement directly affects thousands of residents in the
above mentioned municipalities and communities, the total number of which
surpasses 83 thousand. It should be
noted that a large portion of our fellow citizens who do not reside, but own
property within the Bases, will now be able to reclaim them.
From the overall benefits resulting from
the agreement, it is immediately apparent – and that is proved by the very
content of the agreement – that the Government has fully achieved the dual
purpose it set from the beginning: On the one hand to satisfy the fair, firm
and longstanding demand of the residents of the British Bases and of those who
possess property within the Bases to be allowed to develop them, and on the
other hand to safeguard and protect fully the broader interests of the Republic
of Cyprus, as it was the House of Representatives’ unanimous and firm request.
It is with satisfaction that I have
noted the fact that the whole of the political leadership has hailed the
agreement. The isolated concerns that
have been expressed regarding the so-called “Gibraltarization” are unfounded as
you will ascertain from the text of the agreement.
The Agreement succeeds in essence to
modify, for the first time since the founding of the Republic of Cyprus, the
well-known Appendix O on the Administration of the Bases in Cyprus, which is
part of the set of Agreements of 1960.
What clearly comes out of the agreement
is that the British are interested in safeguarding the military use of the
Bases and not their exploitation in any way for non-military purposes. In the agreement it is made clear that the
United Kingdom cannot itself create commercial and industrial businesses within
the Bases, while its commitment not to colonize them is kept and reinforced, as
it is foreseen anyway by Appendix O.
The general structure and provisions of the Agreement
provide adequate guarantees for safeguarding the prevention of a similar
phenomenon, while ensuring simultaneously the vital interests of the Republic
of Cyprus. More specifically,
n The
administrative and judicial powers of the Republic of Cyprus are strengthened
on persons who have or acquire land,
reside or settle in the Bases,
n Nobody
acquires a right of residence in the Bases unless he/she has a right of
residence in the Republic that has been granted by the competent authorities of
the Republic of Cyprus,
n Planning
conservation and the powers of examining applications for development in the
Bases are transferred and assigned to the competent authorities of the Republic
of Cyprus,
n The
most important thing however is that, according to the provisions of the
agreement, the political, electoral or other rights of the expression of will,
of those who live or settle in the areas of the Bases, will be treated as if
exercised in the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. Consequently, the concerns expressed do not
correspond to the reality but to the fears of those who express them.
I know that many of our fellow citizens, who are not
residents or have contact with the areas of the Bases, wonder what has been
given in exchange to achieve such a favourable agreement for Cyprus. I wish to make it clear that interstate
relations are not necessarily built on exchanges, but on taking similar
measures that improve their relationships. This agreement has no winners or
losers. It is an agreement by which both sides win, since it removes a thorn of
half a century in our relations with Britain.
On their part, with this agreement, the British focus on
the military role of the British Bases. Simultaneously, they are relieved to a
great extent from administering the non-military areas and addressing problems
that the previous status quo created in their relations with the inhabitants,
saving at the same time administrative and financial resources.
I want to stress that the
agreement creates new facts for the residents in the Base areas and for those
who have property there, but also for the Cyprus economy in general.
Significant prospects for growth and activity are opening up in a very
difficult economic period for our country. The agreement is part of the set of
measures to restart the economy that I had announced on April 19, 2013 and
included, inter alia, the achievement of an Agreement with the British for the
development of the non-military areas in the British Bases.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As President of the
Republic, I recognize and respect the desire of our people to see our country
completely free from unfair international legal commitments of the past, which
prevent it from fully exercising its sovereignty over the entire island. I can
understand, even if I do not share the few concerns about the Agreement signed
in London. I have no doubt that the Agreement constitutes a leap forward in our
relations with Great Britain as concerns to the Bases, for the benefit of the
Cyprus Republic.
I do not know any Cypriots
who think that the status of the Base areas agreed in 1960 was fair and the
result of free will of the Cypriot people. It was not. But it is a fact that
generates political and legal results. I consider it as my duty to fight for as
long as it is required to ensure that these results are less onerous for the
Cypriot people as a whole. This is what we did and what we achieved with the
Agreement signed.
In order for the newly
created regime to be understood, we only need to mention some of the
regulations applicable under Appendix O and Protocol 3 of the Treaty of
Accession of the Republic of Cyprus to the European Union, which the present
Agreement improves significantly, strengthening substantially the powers of
Republic of Cyprus.
More specifically,
The territory of the Bases
and that of the Republic are practically a single territory in terms of
currency. I should note that the currency used at the Bases is the euro whereas
in Britain is the pound sterling.
The territory of the Bases
and that of the Republic are a single customs territory.
At the same time the
territory of the Bases and the territory of the Republic are a single territory
as far as the free movement of persons is concerned.
Similarly, they are a
single territory in terms of the exploitation of mineral resources at the Bases
and the sea nearby. Consequently, it is recognized that all of the natural
resources in their entirety belong to the Republic of Cyprus.
With this Agreement, the
territory of the Bases and the territory of the Republic become a single
territory in terms of (a) the exercise of property rights, as well as (b) the
settlement and residence of persons, Cypriots and non-Cypriots (always through
the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus) and (c) the exercise of civil rights.
Concluding, I wish to
inform you that both sides are determined to proceed with the implementation of
the agreement the soonest and for your information it is worth mentioning that
the first meeting of the Common (Cypriot – British) Cooperation Committee
established by the Agreement, will convene next week and more precisely on the
29th of this month.
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