Turkey's stance legitimizes illegal invasion

Since the illegal Turkish invasion of the island in 1974 Turkey preserves its provocative and aggressive stance wanting to legitimize the unjust assault, Defense Minister Michalis Giorgallas has said.

Delivering a speech on Monday, during a commemoration event, the Minister said that Turkey wants to create a new fait accompli and we must make no mistake as to its ultimate goals.

Giorgallas said that Ankara has a solid stance in wanting to legitimize the illegal invasion and terminate the state entity of the Republic of Cyprus.

The Minister debunked Turkey’s narrative for a two-state solution in Cyprus, pointing out that its actions of maintaining occupying troops on the island, violating the basic freedoms and human rights of the Cypriot people, certainly will not lead to reunification.

According to Giorgallas, our people must survive on the island, describing this as a national need.

He said that President Nikos Christodoulides’ efforts seek to resume the peace talks and to end the deadlock, to reach a just, sustainable, and functional solution.

He called on Turkey to make an effort to reverse the existing negative conditions and give substantial meaning to the talks, paving the way to a fair compromise.

Giorgallas also called for a consensus and unity of all in Cyprus to continue the struggle to end the occupation and reunite our homeland.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.