Statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides, following his meeting with Greek counterpart Mr. Nikos Dendias
Athens, 19 January 2022
Mr. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece,
My dear Nikos,
It is a great pleasure and an honor to be in Athens today, for what is my first official visit since returning at the helm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus.
I must say that my presence in Athens today, beyond its self-evident semantic dimension, was substantial and productive in terms of both its content and its outcome.
After all, Greece has been and remains a steadfast and unwavering pillar of support for Cyprus in our efforts to find a viable and functional solution to the Cyprus problem, something for which we are very grateful.
I wish therefore to express once again my warm and sincere appreciation to my friend Nikos and his associates for the excellent hospitality and for the organization of today's visit.
We had the opportunity to exchange views with the Minister on a wide range of issues, including bilateral relations, the Cyprus problem, addressing Turkish provocations, further deepening and optimizing the multilateral cooperation mechanisms, as well as on other regional, European and international affairs of common interest.
As far as bilateral relations are concerned, I would like to be clear and unambiguous. Cyprus and Greece maintain an automatic coordination and consultation mechanism. Both on issues of national interest, as well as on issues that are on our European and regional agenda.
With my dear friend Nikos, we reviewed the prevailing situation in the turbulent geographical basin of the Eastern Mediterranean, where Cyprus and Greece steadfastly remain pillars of security and stability.
It is for this very reason that we have pioneered and continue to drive toward with the strengthening of multilateral cooperation formations with countries in the region. The common goal remains to create a mutually beneficial relationship that will produce results.
Within this context, we discussed possible ways to deal with Turkish provocations and aggression, as this is manifested against Cyprus and Greece.
The constant violations of International Law, the UN Resolutions and the hybrid tactics employed by Turkey create a difficult environment we have to deal with.
As far as we are concerned, we shall continue to follow the path of rationality, which is none other than that of International Law, international treaties, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and European principles and values.
Our goal was and remains the solution of the Cyprus problem on the agreed basis of a bi-zonal bi-communal federation, according to the resolutions of the Security Council of the United Nations.
With these few thoughts, I would like to thank my friend Nikos once again for hosting and organizing our meeting and I look forward to meeting with him soon in Nicosia.
________________
Photos ©MFA of the Hellenic Republic