Greece will offer Cyprus any help it needs to deal with threats by Turkey in the Republic’s Exclusive Economic Zone, says Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, in an interview published today in the Athens newspaper Real News.
He pledges faith in a solution to the long-standing Cyprus problem, under the condition that this solution will, as he says, terminate the occupation of the island by Turkish forces, and the elimination of the system of guarantor countries (currently Greece, Turkey and Great Britain), which means, he added, that no third power should be allowed to invade Cyprus or enjoy any interventional rights.
Kotzias also referred to UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide repeating the complaints he included in a letter he sent to UN GS a month ago. The Greek FM spoke of Eide’s “one-sided initiative” to support Ankara’s position for four fundamental EU freedoms to Turkish nationals in Cyprus after a solution (freedom of movement for citizens, goods, domicile and obtaining property).
He said, specifically, that Eide is confusing non similar situations (e.i. Russian agreement regarding Kaliningrad) in order to support irrelevant demands of the other side, namely Turkey. Furthermore, Kotzias said that the Norwegian statesman is trying to rationalise these arguments in order to persuade EU officials that they could be viable.
The Greek Minister expressed his concern over the tense situation which Turkey has brought about in the island’s territorial waters by “applying threats in the wake of new drilling operations” in sea areas with natural gas reserves.
“We are willing to offer any help Cyprus should require in this situation”, he said.
According to Kotzias, post referendum Turkey “is a nervous and revisionist power”, which more than often “speaks as though it wishes to change international agreements and treaties, or even not to acknowledge the international law”.
Yet, Greece still believes that Turkey’s “European perspective” should be kept alive, and does not side with those who believe that talks with the EU should be ended.
