The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus denounced
the
illegal visit of the President of Turkey to the occupied areas
The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
has denounced the illegal visit of the newly elected President of
Turkey, Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to the occupied areas of Cyprus via
a letter that the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the UN,
Ambassador Nicholas Emiliou, has addressed to both the UN Secretary
General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon and the Permanent Representative of the
United States, Ms Samantha Power, current President of the Security
Council.
The
Ministry underlines in its
letter the illegality of Erdogan's visit to the occupied areas and
the accompanying symbolism that is being attributed to the visit by
Ankara. Reference
is also made to the Turkish President’s statements, both before and
during his illegal visit, which do not create an atmosphere conducive
for negotiations but in the contrary they undermine the necessary
bona fide and banish hope for progress in the Cyprus issue talks.
Erdogan's
statements on
the reinforcement of the so-called "TRNC"’s international
status and its portrayal as a modern and democratic "state"
constitute an example of the anachronistic and intransigent Turkish
rhetoric. This
rhetoric has a firm objective of upgrading the secessionist entity in
the occupied areas, in violation of international law and the UN
Security Council Resolutions on Cyprus.
The
letter also
highlights the obvious discrepancy between the Turkish President’s
actions and rhetoric on the one hand and his country’s pursuit of
becoming a non-permanent member of the Security Council on the other.
The
Permanent Representative’s letter will be circulated as an official
document of both the General Assembly and the Security Council.
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