Government Vice-President and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos said in a statement on the 40th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, on July 20 1974, that the finding of a nationally acceptable, comprehensive, fair, viable and functional solution to the Cyprus issue is one of the top priorities of Greek foreign policy.

“Forty years after the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Greece bows to the memory of our fallen brothers and expresses its respect and gratitude to all the brave Cypriot and Greek defenders of Cyprus who faced the invader, despite being outnumbered, in a harsh and unequal confrontation,” Evangelos Venizelos underlined.

“Forty years later, the wounds are still open: the ongoing illegal Turkish military occupation and illegal settlement of the occupied territory, the suffering of the missing Cypriots’ families, the uprooting of more than 200,000 displaced brothers of ours, the pillaging of Orthodox places of worship and of ancient monuments of our culture,” the Foreign Minister noted.

“Turkey continues to flagrantly violate international legality in Cyprus, provocatively stating that it will not comply with rulings such as the recent Ruling of the European Court of Human Rights, and deny its Cyprus-related obligations to the European Union,” added Venizelos.

“The termination of the occupation and its consequences and the finding of a nationally acceptable, comprehensive, fair, viable and functional solution to the Cyprus issue, within the framework of the relevant UN Security Council decision and the European community acquis, are among the top priorities of Greek foreign policy and the joint strategic goals of Cyprus and Greece,” Venizelos underlined, adding that Greece will remain at Cyprus’ side, supporting and assisting Cypriot Hellenism.