The President of the Republic attended
the Anti-occupation march for Morfou
The President of the Republic Mr Nicos
Anastasiades attended today the Anti-occupation march for the city of Morfou,
which has been occupied by Turkey’s troops since 1974.
In his address at the event, which was
organized by the Morfou Municipality, the President said, among other things,
that his great desire for finding a solution to the Cyprus problem is
well-known, pointing out, however, that “unfortunately the position of Mr Eroglu
and the recent actions by Ankara against the internationally recognized
sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus left me with no other choice than to
suspend our participation in the process of the talks.”
The President noted that he is ready to
do his utmost for the solution of the Cyprus problem and the reunification of
our homeland, but “I will not enter into negotiations under conditions of
blackmail. We want peaceful talks and not a dialogue under the threat of
Turkey’s warships.”
He added that the people of Cyprus
“need to be persuaded that trust and confidence between the two sides should and
must be restored. However, the last decisions and intentions of the Turkish
Government, as they are being demonstrated, do not contribute to achieving this
goal.”
President Anastasiades said that “I
want to reassure our Turkish Cypriot compatriots that I remain committed and
will work with all my powers to finding a solution to the Cyprus problem. What
we need right now is the implementation of measures to restore confidence, not
measure that increase mistrust among the lawful citizens of the island, through
actions that violate international law.”
He also stressed that “I have
repeatedly stated that the natural wealth of the Republic of Cyprus belongs to
the state and the finding of a solution will help so that all the people of
Cyprus benefit from it.”
The President of the Republic also
noted that “I expect from our friends and allies, whom Turkey tirelessly assures
of its good intentions with regard to the Cyprus problem, to do their share and
exert their influence so that the atmosphere needed for constructive,
substantial and fruitful talks on the Cyprus problem can be conducted.”
