Demands put forward by Turkey and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, as officially stated in the paper they submitted in Geneva, for the recognition of the sovereign equality and of the equal international status of the ‘trnc’ – the illegal Turkish Cypriot regime – put a stumbling block in our efforts to achieve the desired breakthrough, Cyprus President Nicos  Anastasiades said.

But he pointed out that despite the setback, “we maintain our commitment and decisiveness to continue and to enhance our effort until Turkey is persuaded to change course and align with the agreed UN framework and the decisions of the European Union.”

Accepting Friday the credentials of the Ambassador of Israel, Oren Anolik, the President said that as regards the issue of Varosha, actions and provocations by Turkey are contrary to all relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the Presidential Statements of 23 July 2021 and 9 October 2020.

Regarding the excellent, as he described them, bilateral relations between Israel and Cyprus, the President said that these ties have been elevated to today’s excellent level by “our common democratic values and shared vision for a peaceful and stable Eastern Mediterranean.”

“This dynamic relationship between our two countries is also reflected by the number and frequency of visits at all levels, as well as the significant people-to-people contacts that have seen a marked increase in recent years. As a result, our strategic partnership now extends further than the purely bilateral level and we have successfully embarked on joint projects in the framework of our trilateral cooperation mechanism with Greece, which is developing in the 3+1 platform with the United States”, he said.

Anolik: National security is of paramount importance

In his speech presenting his credentials, Ambassador Anolik said that the bilateral relations are close, friendly and characterized by the desire and willingness to work together, as well as with other partners, for stability, security and prosperity for our peoples and across the region.

“It is my intention to do my utmost to further enhance and solidify the partnership between the governments and peoples of Israel and Cyprus. I strongly believe in the great potential these relations have. Plenty has been achieved by now, but there is still an abundance of opportunities to be explored”, the Ambassador said.

Anolik said that national security is of paramount importance to both our countries adding that Cyprus and Israel have mutual friends and partners in the region and beyond. He referred to the recent trilateral meeting in Jerusalem, pointing out that hopefully, this meeting will be followed up by a meeting of heads of states.

As regards the Cyprus issue he said that Israel is monitoring and supporting the efforts of the international community to find an agreed, just and peaceful solution to the Cyprus problem and sincerely hope that such a solution could be reached soon.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory.

Numerous UN backed talks to reunite the island have failed to yield results. A 5+1 Informal Meeting that took place in Geneva, on April 27-29, failed to find enough common ground to allow for the resumption of formal negotiations in relation to the settlement of the Cyprus problem.
 
UN Security Council resolution 550 (1984) considers any attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the UN. Resolution 789 (1992) also urges that with a view to the implementation of resolution 550 (1984), the area at present under the control of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus be extended to include Varosha.
 
Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, announced in July 2021 a partial lifting of the military status in Varosha.
 
On October 8, 2020, the Turkish side opened part of the fenced area of Varosha, following an announcement made in Ankara on October 6. Both the UN Secretary-General and the EU expressed concern, while the UN Security Council called for the reversal of this course of action.

The illegal Turkish Cypriot regime was unilaterally declared in November 1983 and the UN describes it as “legally invalid”. No country except Turkey recognises it.