Cypriot Representative to the Third Committee of the UN, Chrysostomos Stavrou, has said it is a paradox that Turkey, a country serving now as a non permanent member of the UN Security Council, occupies part of the territory of Cyprus, a UN and EU member state.

Stavrou, who was exercising Cyprus’ right of reply to the statement delivered, as a “right of reply”, by the representative of Turkey, said that “it is regrettable that the Turkish Representative for yet another year reacts to the statements made about Cyprus by using false accusations and distortions in an attempt to divert the attention from the essence of the problem for which his country is held fully responsible”.

The Cypriot representative noted that if the division of Cyprus persists, with all its traumatic consequences for the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots alike, it is because the Turkish army continues to occupy a significant part of an independent, sovereign country, member of the United Nations and the European Union, and sustains there an illegal secessionist entity, repeatedly condemned by UN Security Council Resolutions.

“Isn’t it a paradox that a country serving now as a non permanent member of the UN Security Council, occupies almost 37% of a UN member state and a member of the EU, in which that country wants to accede someday, undermining the unity and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus by promoting a secessionist entity in the island, and thus failing to comply with the resolutions of the UN Security Council related to the Republic of Cyprus? The answer is obviously “yes”, it is a paradox and illegal too”, he stressed.

Stavrou said that if Turkey really wants the Cyprus issue to be solved and looks forward to this end, it needs to assume its responsibilities.

Turkey, he concluded, has to contribute substantially to the efforts for a solution, withdraw all the occupying troops from the island and let Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to live together in harmony and peace.