House President praises Australia’s principled stance over Cyprus

Australia is a friendly country that supports Cyprus and retains a principled stance vis-à-vis the Cyprus problem, said the President of the House of Representatives, Demetris Syllouris, who is paying an official visit to the country as head of an inter-party delegation.

Addressing a press conference with Greek-speaking media in Melbourne, Syllouris said that the reunification of Cyprus requires the liberation of the island and the withdrawal of Turkish forces, while a solution would need to safeguard the right of displaced Cypriots to return to their properties.

Rather than moving toward this direction, Syllouris said, Turkey is “trying to grab more.”

Syllouris referred in particular to Turkish actions in the maritime areas of Cyprus and the region, stressing that Ankara has “invaded Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone, invades the Greek EEZ, enters into illegal agreements with Libya, while it tries to attempt to establish military bases in other countries.”

“On the one hand, this makes us more pragmatic, not pessimistic” and tells us that if we want to reach a solution, we need to deal with Turkey effectively, in a manner that involves other countries from the region as well.

Asked about his official contacts in Australia, Syllouris said that they are focused on ushering in a new era of cooperation on all areas, while making full use of available technology.

Syllouris pointed to the “huge potential”, whereby Australians may use Cyprus as a base for their business activity in the entire EU, while both countries are members of the Commonwealth.

Syllouris was also asked about the forthcoming visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Australia, and said that the message from his Australia colleagues should be one against war and in favor of peace.