Achieving a solution to the Cyprus issue is conceivable and acceptable only if it is fair and sustainable, the former President of the Hellenic Republic, academic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, said on Friday.

Mr. Pavlopoulos was speaking during an anniversary event organized by the Petrideo Foundation in the context of 30 years of his multifaceted contribution to Culture, Education and Sports, at the Markideio Theater, in Paphos, on the topic “The basic conditions of a fair and sustainable solution of the Cyprus issue according to international and European law”.

In his speech, the former President of the Hellenic Republic and Academician Prokopis Pavlopoulos referred to the Annan Plan, noting that under the institutional and political status of the Annan Plan, the Republic of Cyprus would not constitute, not even by default, a federal-type state, adding that it would be supported much more in a form of confederal state, completely incompatible with the basic requirements of the structure and functioning of the EU and the effective application of European law.

The implementation of the Annan Plan, he added, would in practice lead to, almost legally, in the essential exit of the Republic of Cyprus from the European Union -since, as has been sufficiently emphasized, it would be unthinkable to expect an “adjustment” of European Law to the “regulatory cries” of the Annan Plan- except that it is certain that sooner or later it would also lead to a more general state disintegration.

Referring to today’s critical situation, as he said, Mr. Pavlopoulos said that he is demanding the sincere and decisive acceptance and implementation of the following, essentially National, “edict”: All Hellenism has a duty to resist, under conditions of unity, against the commission of such a “heinous crime” at the expense of the Republic of Cyprus but also at the expense of international and European legitimacy.

He also pointed out that this debt “burdens, as is understandable, both the international community and the EU. In particular, the European Union, taking into account that the Republic of Cyprus is an integral member state and its fate is inextricably linked to its status and with the general perspective of European unification, and beyond that of European integration”.

In the last few months in particular, and despite Turkey’s continued – or sometimes intensifying – provocative intransigence, there is again talk of the need to resolve the Cyprus issue as quickly as possible, said Mr. Pavlopoulos, adding that this also results from the relevant recent statements, accepted by the Governments of Greece and Cyprus – determined to act in this matter with the required “realism” in the face of the “unmannerly” to frankly cynical world of international relations – while “pushing” in the above direction both the UN and and the EU, although they have “experienced” and have repeatedly condemned, unfortunately without the required rigor and indeed without a trace of effective sanctions, the entire Turkish attitude after 1974.

Mr. Pavlopoulos noted that “this tactic of the Governments of Greece and Cyprus must be evaluated as correct in principle, since the “non-solution” of the Cyprus issue not only does not constitute a “solution” to it, but makes it increasingly precarious – and with a lenient view – the situation created by Turkey’s occupation of one third of the Republic of Cyprus for more than fifty years, after its barbaric invasion of the martyred Cyprus in 1974″.

However, and as is understandable, he continued, “achieving a solution to the Cyprus issue is conceivable and acceptable only if it is fair and sustainable”.

A fact, he noted, which means that this solution is conceivable and acceptable only if it serves, at least in terms of its relevant basic regulatory elements, “with dignity” – and not on the surface, under the state of unacceptable compromises or blackmail from specific parties – international legitimacy and European legitimacy but also the “sustainability” of the Republic of Cyprus as a member state of the international community, especially as a full member state of the EU and its “hard core”, the Eurozone.

Because, according to him, “the opposite leads, on the contrary, to dangerous paths of even more painful institutional and political weakening of the Republic of Cyprusboth in the context of the international community and also in the context of the EU.

This issue, he continued, requires as much “careful” preparation, with the corresponding attention and foresight, as Turkey has done – with much audacity which, unfortunately, is reinforced by the aforementioned sad international, and even European in some cases, tolerance towards it – clear that as a principle of “solution” to the Cyprus issue, he does not accept, in any way, the elementary according to international law and European law, model of the federal state.

And he speaks, he directly said, of two States, or at most of a type of Confederate State on the basis of an extremely loose confederation, which does not even correspond to the data of a real bizonal-bicommunal state and state entity.

In this spirit, it is obvious, said Mr. Pavlopoulos, that it is not possible – rather it is not allowed – to begin any discussion on the Cyprus issue, if Turkey does not first put aside such absurd and provocatively maximalist positions and proposals, completely contrary to international law and in particular to European law.

“If it is done, from the Greek and Cypriot side, the mistake of underestimating the risk of opening a dialogue on the Cyprus issue without a substantial concession from Turkey from its extreme positions as mentioned above, then the “dialogue” with the Turkish side leads us to the risk that we will fatally give in, even to a part, to the unacceptable Turkish blackmail and the possibility of a complete trivialization of international law and European law regarding the future of the Republic of Cyprus”, he said.

We must, he urged, always bear in mind that in our relations with Turkey, even when it shows us “good intentions”, “Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes” applies in its entirety. The same is not true – or should be true – obviously for the international community and the UN and the EU, given that they have experienced and suffered, in a series of cases in the distant as well as the recent past, Turkey’s attitude towards with the application of international law and European law.

In his greeting, the president of the Petridei Foundation, Michalis Marathevtis, said that the event was a modest tribute to the 30 years of life of the Petridei Foundation, which was created through the work and contribution of one of the biggest – if not the biggest – benefactor of Pafos, the late fellow citizen our Christodoulos Petridis.

It is, he said, “a conscious act that springs from the depths of our hearts. It is a practical proof of our deep appreciation and sincere admiration for the man who spent his life distributing love, support and relief to fellow human beings and leaving a valuable moral and material legacy to our society.”

He then referred to the Petridei Foundation’s vision for the next decade.

The event included a greeting from the Mayor of Paphos Phaidonas Phaidonos and an artistic program from the Paphos Music School.
The event was followed by a dinner at the home of Mr. Marathevtis in Konya, which was attended by Mr. Pavlopoulos and the former President of the Republic Nikos Anastasiadis.