The Republic of Cyprus is in contact with the states that cooperate on the mission of humanitarian aid to Gaza, so that very soon, with the completion of the work done in Gaza by the US, the mission from Cyprus will resume, said on Wednesday the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulidis.
Welcoming a group of students and senior officers of the School of National Security of Greece, at the Presidential Palace, the President of the Republic said that as a country that maintains excellent relations with all neighboring states, as the EU member state that borders this region, " we are trying - always within the framework of our possibilities without exaggeration, the possibilities of a small member state - to do everything possible, so that this humanitarian crisis that is developing in the region can be faced and it was important that our country managed to offer an alternative , complementary option to the humanitarian aid mission to Gaza".
He added that this has been suspended due to the reprehensible attack on members of the humanitarian organization, which was helping to distribute the aid. However, according to President Christodoulidis, Cyprus is in contact with the states with which it cooperated from the beginning, for the implementation of this effort, so that very soon with the completion of the work done in Gaza by the US, resume the humanitarian aid mission from Cyprus.
Referring to the completion of 50 years since the Turkish invasion and occupation, President Christodoulidis said that the desire of the Greek Cypriot side for the liberation and reunification of the homeland is a given, to add that "we are doing everything possible to achieve this goal, since in addition to many other negative effects, the passage of time creates new accomplishments that make our effort even more difficult."
He said that the Cyprus issue is at a "critical juncture", explaining that "there is an ongoing effort on the part of the United Nations to restart the talks".
"We are", he said, "in constant coordination with the Greek Government and through you I thank the Greek Government and the Greek people who have always stood by us in this effort. We are at a critical juncture, I know this phrase is often heard, but indeed at this stage, half a century later, the juncture is critical."
At the same time, he mentioned that this year marks 20 years since the accession of the Republic of Cyprus to the EU, noting that "this is the most important success, at least at the diplomatic level, of the Republic of Cyprus since its foundation in 1960, a success that was made possible precisely because of of the support we had from the Hellenic Parliament when the issue of EU enlargement was being discussed".
"And Cyprus succeeded, despite the objections of some, despite the contrary assessments that it could not become a member of the EU with the Cyprus issue unresolved. We are trying to use our membership in the EU to achieve our number one goal and priority, which is the resolution of the Cyprus issue," he said.
He also mentioned that the Republic of Cyprus is not only the Cypriot problem. "We are not only a problem that concerns the international community and the EU, but through a specific strategy, the Republic of Cyprus attempts to be the solution to problems that concern the international community," he noted.
He expressed the belief that in the framework of the presence here of the students and senior officers of the School of National Security of Greece they will see "firsthand the cease-fire line" and will face the occupied areas.
According to the President of the Republic, "it is very different for someone to read, to know, to hear, and it is very different to see and see in practice the situation that Cyprus, an EU member state under occupation, is in today".
"50 years have passed," he said, "but in no case whatsoever - and contrary to what some may believe - the Cypriot people have not forgotten. And we cannot come to terms with this unacceptable state of affairs that exists in Cyprus."
Addressing the students and senior officers of the School of National Security of Greece, he also said that "cooperation at the police level is excellent, as in all areas with the Greek Government and State".
However, he added that "of course there is always room for improvement".