UK, Greece give support in Independence Day messages

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Greece and the UK sent their full support to Cyprus in messages to mark the Republic’s 60th Independence Day anniversary on Thursday.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriacos Mitsotakis said the anniversary is celebrated in the midst of continuous illegal Turkish actions which violate Cyprus’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone.

He also made reference to the threats by Ankara to open the fenced-off town of Varosha.

Mitsotakis said that Greece will never accept the legitimization of the consequences of Turkish occupation of the island and reaffirmed the country’s priority for a viable and just solution.

He said that Greece will spare no effort to this end and assist in resumption of UN-led peace talks.

Cyprus remains divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion. Numerous UN-backed talks failed to yield any results.

The last round of negotiations failed in July  2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans Montana.

Cyprus held an Independence Day parade in Nicosia on Thursday without crowds in attendance due to the pandemic.

Britain

The UK National Federation of Cypriots has received messages from the main political parties on the 60th anniversary.

On behalf of the British Government, Minister for European Neighbourhood Wendy Morton congratulated the Cypriot people.

“The United Kingdom and the Republic of Cyprus share a special and unique bond that stems from our shared history, close people-to-people links and common values, including as members of the Commonwealth.

Today, on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Independence, I am proud to say that these bonds have never been stronger.

Over the past year, we have seen even closer cooperation between our two countries, particularly in response to the on-going pandemic and with the arrangement on non-military development of the Sovereign Base Areas.

Our ongoing bilateral co-operation in areas of education and tourism, trade and investment, and defence and security is of great benefit to our two countries and to the people of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Cyprus.

We hope to deepen our bilateral relationship even further in the years to come.”

On behalf of the Labour Party, Catherine West, Shadow Minister for Europe and Fabian Hamilton, Shadow Minister for Peace and Disarmament have sent their heartfelt wishes to the Republic of Cyprus, its people and its diaspora.

“As a longstanding friend and supporter of the Republic of Cyprus, the Labour party recognises and celebrates its achievements over the past 60 years, including the strong people-to-people, trading and security partnerships. Whilst the Republic of Cyprus has faced a number of challenges since independence, it is a stable and predictable ally of the UK, in an otherwise troubled part of the world.

“We also fully respect the special historic and treaty obligations that the UK has towards the Republic of Cyprus and therefore, on this anniversary, we would like to reiterate our steadfast commitment to the reunification of the island as a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

Whilst the current COVID pandemic prevents us celebrating in person, we are looking forward to doing so when circumstances permit.”