The Prime Minister stressed that the defense of Greece and Cyprus against any revisionist dispositions is International Law and noted that in the “arsenal” of Athens and Nicosia “are our strong alliances, it is our participation in the European family.”
The assessment that we will soon return to calmer waters, always keeping open channels of communication with Turkey, “which even in the most difficult times should never be closed”, expressed the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis from Nicosia, where he met with the Cypriot President, Nikos Anastasiadis.
The Prime Minister stressed that the defense of Greece and Cyprus against any revisionist dispositions is International Law and noted that in the “arsenal” of Athens and Nicosia “are our strong alliances, it is our participation in the European family.”
“And with calm determination and composure we will always oppose any rhetoric that goes beyond the rules of good diplomatic practice,” he stressed.
For his part Nikos Anastasiadis He expressed his satisfaction “because the whole management of a rhetoric, foreign to our mentality, by the Greek government, is such that it definitely weakens and neutralizes the goals that some with revisionist views and perceptions may have.”
The statements of Mitsotakis – Anastasiadis
Nikos Anastasiadis: Mr. Prime Minister, my dear Kyriakos. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you again to Cyprus, at a time when timing for information is perhaps one of the most imperative. Of course, never before, at any critical juncture or not yet critical, the cooperation between us is so perfect, so that we act and govern in the most beneficial way for our homelands.
I want to express my absolute satisfaction because the whole management of a rhetoric, foreign to our mentality, on the part of the Greek government, is such that it definitely weakens and neutralizes the goals that some with revisionist views and perceptions may have.
The same tactics and policies are followed by us. International law is our protection and of course our strong alliances and presence in the European Union.
What I am sure will concern us at the European Council next week and later the European Union-NATO meeting, I am sure will send even louder messages of avoiding any challenges from anyone challenging sovereignty and territorial integrity, whether of Greece or Cyprus.
I would like to express my gratitude for the full support of Greece on the preservation of peace, but also on the protection of the Republic of Cyprus.
At the same time, I would like to thank you, of course, for the generous donation of something that was missing from the Republic of Cyprus and contributes to the travel of the President and the Ministers: the concession, free of charge, of a civil aircraft of the Hellenic Republic. I am also happy because it happens at a time when I am nearing the end of my term, so that no one gives me or you – with a donation to the Republic of Cyprus – any other incentives.
But what I would also like to thank is the donation of the Greek Government for the construction of a fire station in mountainous Larnaca and more specifically in the Heptagonia if I am not mistaken, a station that will cost around 650,000 to 700,000 euros.
Thanks again, welcome my Sunday, and I look forward to the next moments when we will have the opportunity to say it in person.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Mr. President, dear Nikos, I am always very happy when I visit Cyprus. It is an opportunity to reaffirm our common coordination in addressing major geopolitical challenges, largely as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But also to coordinate our action against the unrest that has been observed lately in the eastern Mediterranean.
You are right to say that our defense, of Greece and Cyprus, against any revisionist dispositions, is International Law. They are our strong alliances, they are our participation in the European family. And with calm determination and composure we will always oppose any rhetoric that goes beyond the rules of good diplomatic practice.
I believe that our approach is ultimately the right one and that we will be able to return to calmer waters soon, always keeping open channels of communication which, even in the most difficult times – my view was and are – should never be closed.
We will also have the opportunity to discuss developments in the context of rising energy prices and inflationary pressures on our economies. Greece and Cyprus, Cyprus and Greece have an important role to play in this debate which is taking place on the exploitation of the energy reserves of the eastern Mediterranean.
And it will be an opportunity once again to coordinate our movements. We all need strong defenses against inflationary pressures. And the good returns of our economies are the best guarantee that we will be able to continue to support our citizens and businesses to meet this imported precision, which is gnawing at their disposable income.
Exit from the supervisory regime
Yesterday was a very important day for Greece, as the Eurogroup officially ratified our country’s exit from the Enhanced Supervision regime in August. This closes, dear Nikos, a 12-year cycle, which has greatly hurt our country and Greek society.
Cyprus also went through its own difficulties, but you managed to overcome the turmoil of the economic crisis faster. Unfortunately for us it lasted much longer. But looking to the future with optimism we can now say that Greece is not just not the “black sheep” of Europe, as it unfortunately was for several years, but is a country with credibility, with a strong economy, with a significant geopolitical footprint. Strong Greece, strong Cyprus, means strong Hellenism. And I think this is a legacy for both of our homelands.
Finally, I can not but comment on the fact that our absolute coordination, today, is reflected in practice with our absolute costume alignment, which I assure you was not pre-planned, but again thank you very much.
I would also like to emphasize on the issue of the donation that our country is making, that it is a small return to the large donation that you made to close the wounds from the catastrophic fire in Mati. We managed with great difficulty to issue the Presidential Decree for the location in Mati. A mission that normally takes decades for the Greek public administration, to come to intervene in a very large area that carries great sins from the past, is not an easy task. So now we have all the tools to be able to do the construction of social housing, to give our most vulnerable fellow citizens, who lost their homes, the opportunity to have a permanent home in the place they love so much.
And of course, yes, it is important for us as we proceed to a modernization of our fleet of aircraft, to make the gesture to the Republic of Cyprus, so that the President of the Republic of Cyprus or any government official can appear and be represented with an aircraft that will carry the colors and the flag of the Republic of Cyprus.
