Greece called for the reunification of Cyprus on the anniversary of the Turkish invasion
On July 20, the 52nd anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reaffirmed Athens’ unwavering support for the Republic of Cyprus and called for the reunification of the island. He posted a statement to that effect on his Facebook page.
Mitsotakis called the anniversary of the 1974 events an “open wound” for Cyprus and the entire Hellenic world. He recalled that the invasion resulted in the long-standing division of the island, the forced displacement of thousands of people, and the issue of missing persons, which remains unresolved to this day.
“Fifty-two years later, we honor the heroes who defended freedom and refused to accept the consequences of violence and the use of force. Greece stands unwaveringly by the side of the Republic of Cyprus,” the Greek prime minister emphasized.
The prime minister also stated that Greece remains committed to international law and United Nations resolutions, which call for a just, viable, and sustainable settlement of the Cyprus issue.
Mitsotakis welcomed UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ initiative to resume the negotiation process, stressing that a future settlement must be based on the agreed-upon UN framework and the principles of the European Union.
According to the Greek prime minister, the ultimate goal is to create a united Cyprus free of foreign occupation forces and an outdated system of guarantees.
“The goal is a united Cyprus, without occupation forces and outdated guarantee systems,” he said.
The Greek prime minister wrote about this on Facebook.
As a reminder, the Greek government does not support the adoption of a new package of EU sanctions against Russia due to potential economic consequences. Athens fears that restrictions on Russian gas supplies to third countries could lead to a loss of market share to competitors outside the EU.
Greece has opposed sanctions on Russian LNG due to the interests of shipping companies.
