Illegal airport contributes to division of Cyprus

Cypriot Foreign Minister George Lillikas said that whoever “intents to promote the function of the illegal airport at the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus, contributes in a practical manner to the division of Cyprus”.
Lillikas noted that “whoever has such intentions, should make serious thoughts regarding the consequences of such an action, not only for Cyprus, but also for their bilateral relations with the Republic of Cyprus”.
Lillikas was commenting on information that members of the British Civil Aviation are making efforts to open the illegal airport at the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus for international flights.
“There have been some movements on the part of the British authorities, towards European institutions and international organizations for the collection of information regarding the matter”, he said.
After noting that the international community is well aware of the fact that the airport in the occupied areas is illegal, since it violates the international law, and the rules of international organizations and Eurocontrol, he said that he hoped that there would be ”no official governmental effort on the part of Great Britain, or any other country to legalize the illegal airport”.
Cyprus, an EU member state, is divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied one third of its territory.
In 1983 the Turkish occupied part proclaimed the establishment of an illegal state.
UN Security Council resolutions 541 and 550 called all states not to recognise the self-styled regime and not to facilitate it in any way.