Government Spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, has said that Nicosia is not bound in any way by Greece’s decision to support the Turkish candidacy for the General Secretariat of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Cyprus government certainly cannot support Turkey’s candidacy. In statements to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) on Sunday, Letymbiotis said that the improvement of Greco-Turkish relations, following the recent earthquakes, is seen as a positive development, adding that the government was informed of Athens’ support to the Turkish candidacy and also of Turkey’s support for Greece’s campaign for the position of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. The Spokesperson also reiterated that Nicosia-Athens relations were and remain close and excellent for the common goal of a Cyprus solution. Letymbiotis was asked by the Cyprus News Agency to comment on a report by “Simerini” newspaper that Nicosia disagrees with Athens on supporting the Turkish candidacy for the IMO. He said that the atmosphere that developed in the Greco-Turkish relations after the devastating earthquakes, is considered to be positive, adding that we have observed a refraining, by Turkey, from provocative actions. The Spokesperson said that the improvement of the Greco-Turkish relations is a positive development for peace and security in the region, within the framework of the international law, but also for the efforts to resume Cyprus negotiations. He said that it is within this framework of the relations between the two countries, that Turkey’s support to Greece in the campaign for the position of a non-permanent member of the UNSC for 2025-2026 was announced as well as Greece’s support for the Turkish candidacy for the IMO. He added that these actions were agreed upon during the visit of the Greek Foreign Minister to Turkey, after the devastating earthquakes, and that the Cypriot Government was informed before any official announcements were made. The Spokesperson noted that Cyprus is not bound by Greece’s decision in any way “and we certainly cannot support Turkey’s candidacy:, adding that we are looking at our options as the Republic of Cyprus and how they will be shaped within the certain timetable. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency