Press Releases

“The territory of our country will not be used for aggressive actions,” the President of the Republic, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, said tonight in relation to the situation in the region, noting that our goal and expectation is to stop this situation. Referring to Pyla, he stated that there was a reaction from the Turkish side and the United Nations (UN) has asked for a short pause.

Upon arrival at the unveiling ceremony of Zodia's fallen and missing, in his statements to journalists, when called to comment on "the new tension in Pyla", the President of the Republic said, “I hope it will not turn into tension. There have indeed been problems; there has been a reaction from the Turkish side, from the Turkish occupying forces. The UN has requested a short pause and that everything will be reinstated as we had achieved through the Consensus. We are monitoring the issue, we are in contact with the UN, and we will make statements accordingly. However, I can tell you that there has been a request for a short pause and we were assured that the status quo will be restored.”

Asked whether the Consensus includes a mechanism to provide a way out of issues that arise, President Christodoulides noted, “Both on the issue of Pyla and in other areas of the buffer zone, covering an area of 184 km, there is a conscious effort on the part of the Turkish occupation forces to challenge the status of the buffer zone. This is what led to our initiative, because the Consensus reached was our initiative. What the UN is keenly aware of should be implemented. Anything else cannot be accepted on the part of the Republic of Cyprus. We have responded to the request for a short, brief pause, we are monitoring the issue, and we will return accordingly.”

In response to a journalist's remark that it is up to the goodwill of the two sides to implement the Consensus and asked how there can be trust to complete the planning, the President of the Republic said, "A short pause has been requested. The UN says that possibly tomorrow work will resume as was agreed in the Consensus. Let me tell you that the Security Council, in particular the five Permanent Members of the Security Council, are following developments on the issue and depending on these developopments, we will come back with further statements.”

Asked whether he will have a telephone conversation with the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) later today, the President said he has no scheduled telephone conversation with the UNSG.

In response to a journalist's remark that the Turkish Cypriot leader said he would talk to the UNSG, President Christodoulides stated, “I have seen Mr Tatar's statement. I hope that in this telephone conversation, Mr Tatar, in consultation with Turkey, will give their approval for the appointment of the envoy, a specific personality decided by the UNSG. As I mentioned yesterday, both on the part of the US side and the UN side, I had a meeting with Mr Lacroix last week, the effort continues despite the Turkish side’s initial position. I hope it will be an issue which will be discussed.”

Asked if there is any development on the issue of the sea corridor for humanitarian aid to Gaza, the President of the Republic mentioned, “I welcome the President of the Commission’s statement. The European Union (EU) indeed supports this effort. The process continues at the technical and diplomatic level. I will be in Paris on Wednesday, it is one of the main proposals to be discussed. I welcome the substantial support from France for the implementation of this proposal and depending on developments, we shall see how we proceed.”

Asked about the visit of the US Secretary of State, Mr Blinken, to Cyprus yesterday, the President of the Republic said, “It was a surprise visit, it was not planned. It is important that Mr Blinken conveyed to me the discussions he had with all interested parties. They recognise the role that – I do not wish to exaggerate – the Republic of Cyprus (could play), taking into consideration that it is the EU member state in the region, and what the President of the Commission said today is important, but also given the excellent relations we have with the neighbouring states. The proposal of the Republic of Cyprus was discussed both with the Prime Minister of Israel and the King of Jordan.”

Asked whether military facilities will be provided, the President of the Republic noted, “No, no military facilities, but Mr Blinken expressed his gratitude over the evacuation effort and the readiness of the Republic of Cyprus. The territory of our country will not be used for any aggressive actions. After all, our goal, our expectation is for this state of affairs to be terminated.”

Asked whether the scenario of the humanitarian aid being accompanied by warships of a certain country is being considered, President Christodoulides said, “Of course, it is one of the many aspects that has been considered. We have a specific working document which I shared with the US Secretary of State yesterday, but also with some other states, with the President of the Commission, with the French President, a document which is very detailed, step by step. And in this working document, we certainly also touch on this issue that you have just asked.”

(GS/EP)