The visit of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Cyprus is currently underway, marking the first visit of a Greek Prime Minister on the somber anniversary of 50 years since the Turkish invasion.
Mr. Mitsotakis, who accepted an invitation from the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, will deliver a greeting at the commemorative event at the Presidential Palace.
“Alongside ‘I do not forget,’ we add three more words: ‘we unite, we persist, and we fight,'” Mr. Mitsotakis said at the beginning of his remarks.
He emphasized that “armed with the heart and the maturity of time, we meet the 50 years since the Turkish invasion”. We are “at the starting point of a new momentum for our national claims. We look ahead, drawing strength from the painful experience of the invasion.”
He added that “in the half-century that has passed, Cyprus has become a modern democracy and has stood firm against the disastrous impacts of ‘Attila’. With Athens by its side, it has kept the demand for reunification alive.”
Today, Mr. Mitsotakis continued, “with the help of Athens, Cyprus is a member of the European Union, but the wound is still bleeding.”
“Our position is clear; we do not accept faits accomplis. Our stance is ‘one sovereignty, one citizenship, in a bizonal, bicommunal federation without an occupying army.'”
“We believe that Greek-Turkish rapprochement also aids in the solution of the Cyprus issue, but the fact that we are discussing does not mean we agree, and much less that we concede.”
He reminded that statements this week from the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen mentioned that “any threat against Cyprus is also a threat against Europe.”
Hellenism will not stop fighting until Cyprus is reunified and the wounds are healed, Mr. Mitsotakis stressed in closing his speech.
President Christodoulides had a private meeting with the Prime Minister, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, his diplomatic advisor Anna-Maria Boura, and his advisor on international politics and media, Aristotelia Peloni.
Also in Cyprus are the President of SYRIZA, Stefanos Kasselakis, the President of PASOK, Nikos Androulakis, and a delegation from the Hellenic Parliament.
