“There is currently stagnation in the Cypriot conflict due to the ongoing and overt Turkish intransigence” pointed out, among other things, the representative of the government of Cyprus
“We will continue to work with our neighboring states to take advantage of the potential our region provides and thus contribute to the EU’s goals in the energy sector,” Cyprus government spokesman Marios Pelekanos said today.
In his statements to journalists, from the area of ​​Nicosia Mall, where an event was held for the “Cyprus – Tomorrow” project, the representative, referring to the event, said that it is important to show the project, which concerns all citizens, noting that it was designed by Cypriots for Cypriots.
He added that more than 4 billion euros will flow into the Cypriot economy through the plan, with the aim of implementing reforms and development projects in areas such as Health, Education, Employment and others. He also pointed out that the plan is the legacy of the Anastasiades administration to the next generations.
Besides, when asked to comment on the ongoing Turkish provocations in Famagusta, the representative said that “we see a continuation of these provocative statements that we have been hearing all along. Certainly the government, the President of the Republic, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, through diplomatic channels, we take all the necessary actions and steps, in order to prevent any new illegal action from happening, whether it concerns the EEZ, our territory, or the closed area of ​​Famagusta”.
When asked about this, he said that “there is currently stagnation in the Cyprus issue due to the ongoing and open Turkish intransigence, we see a new revisionist behavior being manifested, much more aggressive than before on the part of Turkey, not only against the Republic of Cyprus, but also in the Aegean, and in Libya, and in Nagorno-Karabakh and elsewhere. We are called as Cyprus – and this is what we are doing – to act proactively, with the aim of preventing the creation of any new crimes, but at the same time to work in such a way as to create the conditions to return to the dialogue table”, said Mr. Pelekanos .
He added that the other side, after the emergence of Tatars in the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community, continues to demand the recognition of equal rights in the illegal formation before accepting any step to be taken in the Cyprus issue, which is not going to be accepted from our side.
He noted that “we will continue to work and intensify our efforts, with the aim of resuming the dialogue within the framework defined by the resolutions of the Security Council. And it is in this context that efforts are being made by the President of the Republic, such as with his meetings with the President of France, with the Chancellor of Germany, with the other eight leaders of the Mediterranean states of the EU. We have also seen the Joint Declaration of EUMED9 Summit which we are completely satisfied with, because it makes it clear that this claim to change the basis of the solution is not going to be accepted. And this is what we will do until the last day of President Anastasiades’ term: We will continue our efforts to prevent new crimes and to put the Cyprus issue back on track for resolution.”
In another question, Mr. Pelekanos said that “as far as the appointment of the UN Secretary General’s envoy is concerned, it is a decision of the Secretary General himself, a decision that had been communicated to both sides for over a year, and he had discussed it in September 2021 at New York. It has remained pending ever since. It is positive that we have the involvement of senior United Nations officials such as Mr Yejia. But, yes, we think that if he goes ahead with the appointment, then a better preparation of the ground could be done. In terms of EU involvement, some time should be given, just a few weeks ago the President’s meetings with the leaders of France and Germany took place, the day before yesterday the President’s discussion with the leaders of the Mediterranean EU states. It will continue this discussion and it is important to take advantage of this period remaining until the elections in Turkey to prepare the right ground to be able to take the next step immediately after the elections in Turkey.”
Asked about the issue of energy and the possibility of Cyprus contributing to Europe’s independence from Russian gas, which was discussed at the EUMED9 Summit, the representative said that “the states of our region, i.e. apart from Cyprus, Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, and other states are all showing a good willingness to work together to develop our region and contribute to the EU’s goals of weaning off Russian fossil fuels, oil and gas. Unfortunately, Turkey is still uncooperative, continues to threaten Cyprus and illegally claims part of our EEZ. However, this will not hinder the efforts we are making in cooperation with other neighboring states and we can work together to exploit the potential that our region offers with natural gas deposits or renewable energy sources or hydrogen and electricity interconnections. We are already seeing the progress of the electrical interconnection of Cyprus – Israel – Greece and by extension Europe with the Euroasia Interconnector and in this direction we will continue to work with our neighboring states, in order to take advantage of the possibilities provided by our region and to contribute to the objectives of the EU”.
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have been an author at News Bulletin 247 for the past 2 years. I mostly cover politics news. I am a highly experienced and respected journalist. I have won numerous awards for my work.
