Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 07-10-24

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] CYPRUS - BRITISH-TURKISH ACCORD

[02] BRITAIN - CYPRUS POLICY

[03] MOLLER - UN DAY - CYPRUS

[04] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT - TURKEY - RESOLUTION

[01] CYPRUS - BRITISH-TURKISH ACCORD

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting today, Government Spokesman Vasilis Palmas said that the Foreign Minister has made strong representations to the British High Commissioner in Nicosia about the agreement, signed by the prime ministers of Britain and Turkey.

The document of the partnership entertains a clearly partitionist logic, since the main subject of its provisions relating to Cyprus is the systematic promotion of separate relations of the Turkish Cypriot secessionist entity in the occupied areas with the rest of the world, Palmas pointed out.

Great Britain, said Palmas, is an EU partner, where the principle of sincere cooperation and solidarity should be respected. He noted that the London had failed to inform Nicosia of its intention to co-sign with the Turkish government a political agreement, which partly concerns vital interests for Cyprus.

It is the view of the government of Cyprus that this development is contrary to the Memorandum of Understanding, signed between the UK and Cyprus in 2005, to establish a Structured Dialogue between the two governments, he added.

In addition, Palmas said that as a permanent member of the Security Council, the UK has signed all relevant resolutions on Cyprus which bind the country. Resolution 550 (1984), apart from the fact that it condemns the secessionist actions in the occupied areas and proclaims them illegal and invalid, calls on all states, not to recognise the purported state and not to facilitate or in any way assist this the aforesaid secessionist entity.

In signing this agreement, he pointed out, Great Britain appears to be in line with Turkeys policy on Cyprus, which as the Turkish President has stated is one promoting two separate entities on the island.

With such actions, prospects for a solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of Security Council resolutions and the High Level Agreements become even grimmer. These moves also undermine efforts for the unconditional implementation of the July 8 process since they remove every motive from the Turkish side to change its intransigent attitude, Palmas stressed.

The government, its spokesman said, will act decisively and calmly to protect its national interests through all available diplomatic and legal means and, if necessary, it will review its long-standing policies.

Once more we see Cyprus being sacrificed for the sake of foreign interests, which have nothing to do with either the country itself, he stressed.

Palmas also noted that Turkey and Great Britain are two of the four states which co-signed the Treaty of Guarantee of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960 with which Greece, Turkey and the UK guaranteed, the independence and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and had undertaken the responsibility to prohibit any action which would indirectly promote partition.

Palmas said Turkey invaded Cyprus and imposed, through violence, the division of the country and the UK did not meet its obligations, while it maintains military bases and facilities on the island, in accordance with the Treaty of Guarantee which is governed by the principle of reciprocity.

Commenting on the same issue in Greece, the Greek FM Dona Bakoyianni expressed hope that there will be clarifications and corrections which would help avoid harmful misunderstandings at a crucial stage for the resumption of efforts to solve the question of Cyprus.

She recalled that there are numerous decisions, by the international community, on the issue of the self-proclaimed Turkish Cypriot regime in Turkish occupied Cyprus which leave no doubt and allow no misconceptions about the status of this regime.

The partnership agreement commits Britain and Turkey to take forward work on ending what the Turkish Cypriots call isolation and to encourage others in the international community to join them in their efforts.

In the document, London and Ankara say they will work within the UN, the EU and bilaterally to promote direct commercial, economic, political and cultural contacts between the UK, the EU and the Turkish Cypriots.

They will also provide continued help for TRNC authorities/universities in their attempts to engage with the Bologna process and will uphold the right of representation of the Turkish Cypriots in the European Parliament.

[02] BRITAIN - CYPRUS POLICY

The statement was issued after representations were made by Cyprus Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou Marcoullis to Millett with regard to a strategic partnership signed in London yesterday by the British and the Turkish prime ministers. ``There is nothing new in the Cyprus related elements of the UK/Turkey Strategic Partnership that was signed yesterday in London. Our policy on the non-recognition of the so-called TRNC is unchanged. We do not and will not recognise a separate entity in the northern part of Cyprus. Nor does anything in the document reflect an attempt to upgrade the status of the north or promote partition, Millett said in his statement.

We are fully committed to the reunification of the island and support the UN`s efforts to implement the 8 July process. At the press conference following the meeting, the Prime Minister Gordon Brown made clear the importance of seizing the opportunity for progress towards a settlement in 2008. It is only by engaging with Turkey in a constructive and strategic way that this goal can be realized,`` he adds.

[03] MOLLER - UN DAY - CYPRUS

Speaking during a reception in Nicosia to mark the 62nd birthday of the UN, Moller said the UN Secretary General has urged the leaders of both communities on the island to show the political will and strength to move this vital process of reconciliation ahead.`` ``It is our firm conviction that the 8 July process is flexible and viable enough to accommodate the respective concerns and needs while enabling the long awaited, long elusive goal of reuniting this beautiful island. I appeal to all Cypriots to look to the future and think constructively and imaginatively about the shape of things to come. An active and involved civil society is crucial to how that future is shaped,`` Moller added.

He furthermore said that ``understanding and peace is best achieved by those who already know each other, it is seldom sustainable if imposed by outsiders.`` ``It is for the people of Cyprus to find a Cypriot solution to what is a Cypriot problem. The time is more than ripe for that to happen. We, the United Nations and the international community, are steadfast in our determination to help Cyprus more forward. Let us do so together, expeditiously and with determination,`` he added.

[04] EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT - TURKEY - RESOLUTION

It furthermore ``welcomes the establishment of an instrument of financial support to encourage the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community`` and ``calls on the Commission to report specifically on the implementation and effectiveness of this instrument.``

The Parliament calls on the Commission to identify in its regular report those subjects which have to be addressed by Turkey as a matter of priority, focusing on the achievement of the short-term and medium-term priorities set out in the Accession Partnership, and expects the Commission to fully utilise all appropriate means to efficiently support the reform process, reminding Turkey that honouring its commitments within the timetable set by the Accession Partnership is of paramount importance to its credibility.

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