President of Greece Prokopis Pavlopoulos has said that the positions of Greece and Cyprus on the Cyprus problem are also the positions of Europe and has stressed the absolute unity between the two countries.

In remarks he made before a meeting with Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, at the Presidential Palace, on Thursday, Pavlopoulos also said that the Cypriot President is the one who bears the responsibility and has the honour of negotiating, stressing that “everyone else stands by him without the slightest reservation.” Any reports to the contrary “are not only far from the truth but also cause harm to the national cause,” he pointed out.

The Greek President spoke of “an absolute unity, an excellent climate, which I cannot remember ever existing before now.”

He also said that in the ongoing process for the reunification of Cyprus no pressure is been exerted and at the same time there is the support on the part of EU institutions, mainly of the European Commission for the positions which have been set forward.”

Because he added “the positions which concern the Cyprus problem, are not only the positions of Cyprus and Greece, they are the positions of Europe.”

“We need to comprehend that in defending the sovereignty of Cyprus in the solution of the Cyprus problem we are defending the sovereignty of EU member states,” he noted.

According to Pavlopoulos “it would be inconceivable for a solution which would be contrary not only to international law but also contrary to the acquis communautaire to be accepted by us since in a short period of time it would place Cyprus outside the EU.”

Turkey, he noted, “needs to choose if it wishes to be sincere.” Turkey knows that Cyprus is a European state ad we have the precedent of the reunification of Germany. So if Turkey is sincere it should leave Cyprus to walk its path within the EU and its very core the eurozone, he added.

On his part the Cypriot President thanked Pavlopoulos, the Greek government and Greece as a whole for their “full support and excellent cooperation” in dealing with our great problem which keeps our country divided for 43 years.

He also agreed that “reaching a solution absolutely compatible with the acquis communautaire, which will not take away from the sovereignty of an EU member state and will at the same time safeguard human rights, without the need to have any third country as guarantor, or for the troops of any country to remain for the so called protection of one or the other community, is a common goal”

In this path, he added, “we are together, absolutely convergent, in full concert.”

And I would like to hope, President Anastasiades said, “that the other side will finally understand that it is not via the rhetoric of unacceptable positions that a mutually acceptable compromise is achieved” to all the matters ahead of us such as the matte of internal security and outside dangers.

According to him it will become obvious once Turkey puts forward its positions and in particular as regards the security and guarantees but also if the Turkish Cypriot community were to be encouraged and supported to finally comprehend that through guaranteeing basic freedoms, human rights and creating a stability will there be prospects for the future.

Pavlopoulos is in Cyprus for an event tonight in memorial of the late first President of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios. He arrived at the Presidential Palace at 1230 (0930 GMT) together with Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos II. Following his meeting with Pavlopoulos President Anastasiades hosted a lunch in his honour.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Anastasiades and Akinci have been engaged in UN-led talks since May 2015 with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.

A conference was convened on January 12, in Geneva, under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General and with the participation of the leaders of Cyprus` two communities, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, the Foreign Ministers of Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom as guarantor powers and in the presence of the European Union as an observer/interested party.

Participants decided to establish a working group with the task to identify specific questions on this important aspect of Cyprus` settlement talks, as well as the instruments needed to address them. Meetings are set to continue until Friday, January 20.