by Kyriacos Tsioupras
London, Nov 6 (CNA) – British Foreign Secretary David Miliband reiterated on Tuesday that the British policy on the Cyprus problem has not changed as a result of the strategic partnership agreement signed between the United Kingdom and Turkey.
He added that his country remains a strong supporter of the 8 July 2006 agreement and the engagement by all sides with the UN after the presidential elections in Cyprus.
Speaking after an hour-long meeting with Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Dora Bakoyiannis, Miliband said partnership agreements have been signed annually with Turkey since 2004.
Invited by CNA to comment on the wave of indignation in Cyprus and the Cypriot community in Britain caused by the agreement, Miliband said he was ”very happy to have the opportunity to place fully on record the position of the UK government, it is that our partnership agreement with Turkey does not change UK policy.”
”Partnership agreements have been signed every year since 2004. We remain strong supporters of the July 8 agreement, strong supporters of the bizonal bicommunal solution, with regard to the Cyprus issue, and strong supporters, especially in the period after February’s elections, of engagement by all sides with the UN, because the UN have a critical role to play in this issue,” he added.
He also expressed hope that ”when our friends in the region and in the UK see the reality of the UK position, rather than the reports on it, they will recognise that there is nothing to fear from the UK’s position.”
”The UK’s commitment to working for a just solution remains strong, which I think we share with our colleagues in the Greek government,” Miliband said.
Apart from the Cyprus problem, Miliband and Bakoyiannis discussed Turkey’s EU accession course, Kosovo, the name of FYROM and ecological issues.
Bakoyiannis described the meeting as very useful, adding that it was held in a very good atmosphere.
The Greek Minister also met with the British committee for the return of the Parthenon sculptures.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
President of the Republic of Cyprus Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed on 8 July 2006, during a meeting in Nicosia in the presence of UN official Ibrahim Gambari, to begin a process of bicommunal discussions on issues that affect the day-to-day life of the people and concurrently those that concern substantive issues, both contributing to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.
