Greece responds to Turkey over Cyprus issue

The Cyprus question calls for an urgent and mutually acceptable settlement on the basis of international law, says Greece’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in response to a Turkish letter last month.

Ambassador Maria Theofili, Greece’s Permanent Representative to the UN, outlined Greece’s position in a letter to the President of the General Assembly, dated 1 November and sent in response to a letter last month from the Permanent Representative of Turkey, Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu.

Sinirlioglu had said in his letter that he felt “the need to set the record straight” following remarks by the Greek prime minister during the 74th session of the General Assembly.

“The Cyprus dispute is not an issue of ‘invasion’ or ‘occupation’, but an issue of the renewal of a partnership between the co-owners of the island, which was destroyed by the Greek Cypriot side in 1963,” the Turkish official wrote.

The letter drew a quick response from Ambassador Andreas Mavroyiannis, the Permanent Representative of Cyprus, who wrote his country "suffered and continues to live with the consequences of Turkey’s aggression."

Theofili said Greece fully shares the views expressed by Mavroyiannis, adding that she hoped all parties would be ready to assist in a new round of talks.

The Greek ambassador was referring to a forthcoming meeting in Berlin of the Secretary-General with the two Cypriot leaders, Cyprus President and Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.

“We can only hope that all interested parties will contribute to the soonest possible resumption of fully fledged, results-oriented negotiations for a settlement of the Cyprus issue," Theofili wrote.

"The Cyprus question is an international issue calling for an urgent, mutually acceptable settlement on the basis of international law, the relevant Security Council resolutions, which determined the political framework of the settlement, and the European Union acquis", she added.