The presence of Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Cyprus today, the first visit by a Greek Prime Minister on the day marking the dark anniversary of 50 years since the Turkish invasion that led to the division of the island, holds significant symbolism as it aims to highlight Greece’s support for the Republic of Cyprus and its commitment to finding a viable and fair solution to the Cyprus issue. Tonight, the main speech by the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides will take place at the presidential palace, while Mr. Mitsotakis will also outline the direction of Greek foreign policy. Mr. Mitsotakis is, of course, prepared for the absolutely expected rhetorical outbursts and exaggerations from the Turkish side, which views the 50th anniversary of the invasion through the lens of conquest. It is no coincidence that with a NOTAM from the pseudo-state (287/24), flights below 10,000 feet have been prohibited in all occupied areas, clearly in order for various aerial displays to take place. However, today’s exaggerations are not expected to lead to upheavals in Greek-Turkish relations, which are effectively evolving separately from the Cyprus issue, and the next critical juncture will be New York, where in two months, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Mr. Mitsotakis and Mr. Erdogan will discuss what the next steps may be.
Athens remains committed to the key priorities of Greek foreign policy for the Cyprus issue, which are nothing other than ending the Turkish occupation in Cyprus and finding a fair, viable, and functional mutually acceptable solution to the Cyprus problem, in accordance with the relevant decisions of the UN Security Council and European acquis. In the latest contacts with the UN Secretary-General’s special envoy for Cyprus Angela Maria Olguin, a complete deadlock was identified, primarily due to Turkey’s insistence on a two-state solution, meaning the a priori and without further guarantees recognition of the pseudo-state as an independent entity, in order to gain state status in negotiations with the Republic of Cyprus. In other words, the Republic of Cyprus, which is the state created in 1960, would need to recognize that the forcibly separated and illegally occupied northern part by Turkish forces is legitimate.
Although Ms. Olguin’s mandate ended about two weeks ago, an effort is being made to see if an informal meeting between Mr. Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar can take place to explore whether there is indeed room to initiate a process. Technically and substantively, it is only then that a discussion about the terms of any dialogue can begin. It is, of course, obvious that under the current circumstances, the prospects for restarting the dialogue are extremely limited, if not nonexistent.
Kasselakis, Androulakis
Also in Cyprus are the president of SYRIZA Stefanos Kasselakis and the president of PASOK Nikos Androulakis. During yesterday’s meeting he had with Mr. Christodoulides, the president of SYRIZA expressed support for linking the Cyprus issue with EU-Turkey relations and emphasized the need to restart negotiations for the Cyprus issue from the point they were interrupted in Crans-Montana. “There cannot be guarantees and occupying troops in an EU member state,” said Mr. Androulakis, among other things, after his meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus.
