D. AVRAMOPOULOS: Good morning. It is truly a great pleasure for me to welcome the new Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus, Ioannis Kasoulidis – a very dear and old friend of mine – to the capital of Greece, the capital of Hellenism, Athens. I congratulate him and wish him every success in his mission, to the benefit of Cyprus and of Hellenism in general. Mr. Kasoulidis’s political career, in combination with his truly invaluable and rich experience in posts vital to Cyprus’s interests, is the best guarantee of fulfilment of his vital mission and the international representation of the Republic of Cyprus.
I am absolutely certain that, as in the past, his presence in this pivotal post will contribute substantially and decisively to the further enhancement and deepening of cooperation and coordination between our two countries on every level. This cooperation is a cornerstone of Greece’s policy on the Cyprus issue and a top priority for our government.
Very briefly, on Monday, as Mr. Kasoulidis informed me just a short while ago, we will have the pleasure of receiving and welcoming President Nicos Anastasiades to Athens. Today, together, we prepared the agenda for this presidential visit. We had an initial and very useful exchange of assessments and views, the main subject of which was, of course, the potential and prospects for the reopening of negotiations on substantial matters in the Cyprus issue; negotiations that, unfortunately, due to the Turkish Cypriot side, have been frozen for about a year now.
I must say that I am very pleased to see that the new government of Cyprus is moving ahead with planning and strategy. It knows what it wants and is pursuing peace and stability in the region. Greece supports Cyprus’s joining the Partnership for Peace, which the President himself stated in his first public address. I reiterated to Mr. Kasoulidis Greece’s unswerving support for Cyprus. The termination of the Turkish occupation and settlement and the finding of a comprehensive and agreed solution to the Cyprus issue, based on the resolutions of the UN Security Council and Cyprus’s membership in the European Union, are a top national priority for us.
The resolution of the Cyprus issue – I have said this many times before – is a prerequisite, the key, I would say, to the full normalization of Greek-Turkish relations, and it will impart fresh momentum to Turkey’s European perspective. Obviously, President Anastasiades and his government do not have a magic wand with which to suddenly create the right climate for the reopening of substantial and effective negotiations. So some time will have to be given and the need for internal consultation will have to be proposed to the new, upgraded National Council of Cyprus so that there can be a package of proposals for finding a solution, and so that talks can start with the Turkish Cypriots, without tensions and based on the interests of the Cypriot people and the wider region.
Beyond the Cyprus issue, I had the opportunity to brief Mr. Kasoulidis on the results of the second Greek-Turkish High Level Cooperation Council that took place the day before yesterday in Istanbul. We also discussed the whole range of our bilateral relations, our excellent cooperation in critical sectors – including the economy and energy – as well as regional issues we are facing in Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean.
And finally, just a couple of words about the crisis the European economy is facing overall. Greece and Cyprus are striving jointly, together with our partners and on every level, to create the conditions for recovery. In this context, it is vital that we settle, as soon as possible, the remaining pending issues for reaching a definitive agreement on the timely and adequate funding of Cyprus under the best possible terms.
My dear friend, Mr. Minister, I truly thank you for your first visit to our homeland, to Greece. It is as substantial as it is symbolic. Substantial because today we laid the foundation for our close cooperation in the coming time. Symbolic because it underscores the brotherly ties that unite us, and this is your home.
Once again, I welcome you.
I. KASOULIDIS: Thank you very much. Thank you, my dear Dimitris, my dear friend, Mr. Minister. It is an exceptional pleasure for me to find myself once again in these familiar surroundings, visiting Athens, the centre of Hellenism, as the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus. I cannot forget the fact that if Cyprus achieved what to many was unachievable – Cyprus’s accession to the European Union – it was due to Greece, and because that joint effort and coordination and exchange of views and actions on the level of the Foreign Ministries was so successful, I have asked that this type of relationship be reinstated between Athens and Nicosia on all levels.
Both Greece and Cyprus are being tested at this time. They are facing the difficulties of the economic crisis they are in. But I am sure that, as the Greek government has done, the Cypriot government will achieve its aim of responsibly coming to an agreement by the end of this month with the Troika, so that we can move ahead with the efforts toward approval of the loan agreement.
But at the same time, I have explained and we have agreed with Mr. Avramopoulos on a strategic roadmap for Cyprus’s foreign policy that we will follow for the foreseeable future of the coming two years. In this roadmap we include Cyprus’s efforts to shift the center of gravity of its foreign policy firmly. As a conscientious and trustworthy partner of the European Union, Cyprus does not want to differ from the other 26 member states, and this is the context of our effort to join the Partnership for Peace.
This is not an action aimed at the blame game, at eliciting defiance from Turkey. It requires good and serious preparation, followed by an effort to ensure that when the talks on the solution to the Cyprus issue start again – a solution that we ardently desire – these talks will take place in a better, more appropriate environment, under conditions that are better for the prospects of their success. We don’t just want dialogue for the sake of dialogue. We want a dialogue that has a goal and an outcome.
We have discussed all of this and we will go into detail now during the meeting of the two delegations. And I want to believe that, hand in hand with Greece, we can achieve many things.
Thank you.
JOURNALIST: A question on the Cyprus issue and the initiatives the new government is going to take for the reopening of the talks, in combination with cooperation with Greece.
I. KASOULIDIS: Yes, as I said, we discussed a kind of roadmap. We want to prepare the ground well. We want the National Council to arrive at common positions and a common line for negotiations. We want to put these positions forward at the negotiating table, while at the same time working to create a better environment that will help toward the success of this endeavor.
JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, in these talks that you will try to reopen on the Cyprus issue, will the basis be the so-called convergences achieved previously? And my second question, on the crisis: I see that in Cyprus, as in the case of Greece, the partners want to keep the negotiations to a tight timeframe. We are hearing about Greece’s responsibilities, due to the banks, as well as a haircut for deposits in Cyprus. Does your government have any red lines?
I. KASOULIDIS: First of all I would like refer to the last thing you said, because it bothers me, as well, to hear it said – as an explanation – that Greece is responsible for the economic situation in Cyprus. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is not Greece’s fault if the commercial banks of Cyprus chose to expand in Greece. Nor is it Greece’s fault if they burdened themselves – and from the secondary market – with heaps of Greek bonds. Certainly, the decision on the haircut here in Greece came from the Eurogroup, and it is a decision that creates a certain moral obligation for the partners regarding the case of Cyprus right now. But the issue of Greece’s being to blame needs to be struck from our vocabulary. It isn’t the case, and it isn’t fair for it to be said.
On the other hand, listen, we will negotiate prudently. We are well aware of the choices before us – choices that are unfortunately very limited in terms of the issues we have before us and in terms of the timeframe. The crisis and the uncertainty have gone on for a long time. Every passing day creates new repercussions while at the same time whetting appetites for any kind of new reports imaginable. In a space of three months, Cyprus’s good image was destroyed due to all these articles in the news. It is time for us to fight to re-establish Cyprus’s good name. Anyone who has any doubts as to laundering or whatever can come to Cyprus. Specialized organizations took on the responsibility of looking into it. We believe we are okay. If they find anything, they can point it out to us so we can fix it.
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: As Mr. Kasoulidis has already said, during our talks we came to a number of understandings and agreements. Greece and Cyprus will move ahead together, in a truly difficult state of affairs and a very unfavourable economic environment. We will work together, first of all, within the European Union. At this time we are giving priority to supporting the Cypriot economy and coming to an agreement in the Europe so that the procedures for adequate funding of the Cypriot economy can move ahead. What Mr. Kasoulidis said earlier responds to some timely questions regarding what led the Cypriot economy into crisis. We will stand by Cyprus so that this problem can be dealt with successfully.
As for the roadmap we referred to earlier, it is true that a new environment has taken shape. New conditions – even geopolitical conditions – have been created. The Cyprus issue remains a principal priority of Greek foreign policy, and we will not miss any opportunity that can lead toward the desired result at the soonest possible time: a unified Cyprus; the Republic of Cyprus as a factor for stability in the wider region and a bridge of friendship with neighboring countries. That is the goal we have set. One of the first steps is Cyprus’s participation in the Partnership for Peace. This will be a major achievement, because it will shape new conditions of security and stability in our region. On this new course – in this new beginning marked by the election of a new leadership – Cyprus will, as always, have Greece at its side. On this path, My dear Ioannis, we will move ahead together. Thank you very much.
March 6, 2013