Greek Foreign Minister Stavros Lambrinidis on Tuesday reiterated that the Cyprus issue is a top priority of Greece's foreign policy, as the end of the illegal Turkish occupation of one-third of the island constitutes a condition for the full normalisation of Greek-Turkish relations.
"The illegal invasion of Cyprus on 20 July 1974 was a flagrant violation of international law – as noted in repeated resolutions from the UN Security Council – causing unspeakable pain to thousands of families who mourned their dead and were uprooted from their ancestral hearths," Lambrinidis said.
"Despite the fact that the international community never accepted the accomplished facts of 1974, the wounds opened by the invasion have yet to heal, a large portion of Cyprus continues to be occupied by the Turkish military, the tragedy of the relatives of missing persons continues, human rights are being violated, and illegal settlement is a direct threat to the Turkish Cypriots themselves", he added.
Referring to Erdogan's statements, Lambrinidis said that "shortly before his illegal visit to occupied Cyprus on the dark anniversary of the invasion, the Turkish Prime Minister is “threatening” to freeze Turkish-EU relations, with “plan B” for the resolution of the Cyprus issue and, as if he owned Cypriot territory, with the non-return of Morphou and Rizokarpaso".
"These statements show once again that the essence of the Cyprus issue is the invasion and ongoing occupation. Instead of showing the requisite political will for a mutually acceptable solution to the Cyprus issue, Turkey is trying in vain to tell the EU how to function and who its members are", he said, adding that:
"The Cyprus issue is a top priority of Greek foreign policy, and the termination of the illegal Turkish occupation is a prerequisite for the full normalization of Greek-Turkish relations. Greece firmly supports the initiatives and efforts of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Christofias, to achieve a just, viable and functional solution based on the resolutions of the UN Security Council and on the principles, values and acquis of the European Union. The people of Cyprus must know that they will have Greece at their side in the just struggle to reunite their homeland".
