Deputy Foreign Minister Kyriakos Gerontopoulos met today, Tuesday, 26 August, with the Speaker of the Cypriot House of Representatives, Yiannakis Omirou, within the framework of the visit he is carrying out to Cyprus.
Following the meeting, Mr. Gerontopoulos made the following statement: “I thank the Speaker of the House of Representatives, whom I have known for a long time, for the warm welcome. It was ascertained, once again, that there is a complete coincidence of views between Athens and Nicosia, that we are moving at a common pace and synchronization in all our moves. This is good, in view of the talks that are taking place for the resolution of the Cyprus issue.
I want to note once again that forty years of Turkish occupation is very, very long and is a black page in European history. It is a point of shame for all of Europe, and the situation must be resolved directly, based on the UN resolutions and the European acquis.
Turkey, the Turkish Cypriot side, needs to show that it respects international rules, international legality, and make the necessary concessions, because there can be no further concessions on our part.”
Mr. Gerontopoulos then met with Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus, with whom he discussed the developments in the Cyprus issue and the other national issues, as well as matters of religious interest.
In his statements after the meeting, Mr. Gerontopoulos stressed that “every meeting with the Archbishop is, for me, a rebaptism, both religious and national. His views are wise and are a guide for us on many issues. We always bear them in mind, because I believe that in this way the solution we are being called upon to provide will be in the interest of everyone, and most of all in the interest of the martyred island of Cyprus.”
August 26, 2014