Secretary General of the Commonwealth Donald McKinnon said that the bilateral issue between Cyprus and Britain, which emerged from the recent signing of a memorandum of Strategic Cooperation between Britain and Turkey, could be resolved.
Speaking after a meeting in Nicosia with Minister of Foreign Affairs Erato Kozakou Markoullis, McKinnon referred to the position of the Commonwealth in support of the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of Cyprus.
Markoullis said ”the Commonwealth has played a role all these years, along with other important international organisations, as an important forum, from which all these years of trial we have received support for Cyprus’ case.”
McKinnon met earlier on with President of the Republic Tassos Papadopoulos and was briefed by the President and Markoullis on recent developments in the Cyprus problem and the positions of Cyprus regarding the memorandum of Strategic Cooperation between Britain and Turkey.
Markoullis said McKinnon is in Cyprus in view of the Commonwealth meeting, to take place in Uganda in November.
”We received all the information on preparations for the summit and I am grateful to the Secretary General of the Commonwealth for this briefing and also for the preparations that have been made so far for this important summit,” she added.
McKinnon said ”the Commonwealth has always stood very firmly with the people of Cyprus, we have always stood very firmly for your sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and obviously for your unity and we know that this is an issue that does emerge from time to time in Commonwealth circles, but Commonwealth leaders have always reaffirmed those particular sentiments and I expect them to continue to do so.”
Referring to the upcoming Commonwealth meeting in Uganda, McKinnon said the leaders would be discussing inter alia economic cooperation within the Commonwealth, information technology, the countries wishing to join the organisation, respect and understanding and international trade.
He noted his meetings in Cyprus were useful, adding that ”having three Commonwealth members now in the EU, Cyprus, Malta and the United Kingdom, is very useful.”
Replying to questions regarding the Cyprus problem, McKinnon said ”I have certainly been very much aware of the situation since I arrived in the country and I still state that the very strong, longstanding position of the Commonwealth is that we remain very much supportive of your sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity.”
”I recognise that a statement that emerged from the meeting between the British Prime Minister and the Turkish Prime Minister is of concern to you,” he said, adding that President Papadopoulos would be meeting with the British Prime Minister in Kampala for the Commonwealth meeting.
McKinnon said he was ”very confident this is a bilateral issue between the United Kingdom and Cyprus that can be resolved.”
