The President of the Cypriot Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, addressed the plenary session of the Parliament of the Hellenes.
Mr. Christodoulides was in Athens at the official invitation of the Speaker of the Parliament, Nikitas Kaklamanis, in a move with strong political and historical symbolism for relations between Greece and Cyprus.
The Cypriot President began by stressing the importance of cooperation between Greece and Cyprus, particularly in a tense geopolitical climate, stating that: “Greece, which remains our most consistent and selfless ally.”
In his speech, the Cypriot president referred at length to the historical ties between Cyprus and Greece, paying tribute to the Greeks and Cypriots who sacrificed their lives in national struggles, particularly during the Turkish invasion of 1974.
“We pay tribute to the heroic Greek officers, soldiers and civilians who shouted a thunderous “present” and sacrificed everything they had to prevent Turkey’s dichotomous plans,” he said, adding that Turkey continues to “encroach on 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus”.
Christodoulides particularly focused on the issue of the missing persons, noting that “we will never rest until the fate of the last missing person of the Cyprus Tragedy is determined.”
At the same time, he referred to “one of the biggest crimes in the post-war history of Europe“, arguing that Turkey has been violating international and European law for 52 years through its continuing occupation, colonisation and violation of fundamental human rights in Cyprus.
The President of the Republic reiterated that Nicosia’s strategic goal remains the resumption of talks for the settlement of the Cyprus problem on the basis of the United Nations resolutions and the principles of the European Union.
“I would like to take this historic step, in the most formal way, to stress that for us, a two-state solution does NOT exist even as a thought. We will NEVER accept to discuss the legalization of illegality,” he stressed.
Referring to the diplomatic efforts of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides noted that Lefkosia has managed to bring the Cyprus problem back to the international stage, ending, he said, the seven-year deadlock in the talks.
Mr. Christodoulides also sent a message of unity and optimism to Hellenes everywhere, stressing that “the liberation and reunification of Cyprus is the vow that unites all of us, in Cyprus and Greece“.
“On their legacy we stand firm, we look to tomorrow with optimism, with the poet’s confidence that a little longer we will see the almond trees blooming, the marbles shining in the sun, the sea waving. A little while longer, to rise, a little higher,” he concluded.
